


The Facility

by Kihonne



Series: The Facility [1]
Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Escape, F/M, Kidnapping, On the Run, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2020-01-06 01:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 51,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18377741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kihonne/pseuds/Kihonne
Summary: Adam, Bree, and Chase are discovered by the government and kidnapped. They are brought to a place called The Facility, a training ground/experiment lab for kids with 'unnatural abilities'. Desperate to get home from that torture chamber, they must band together with their fellow prisoners. But troubles arise when they run into a familiar face. RATED A HIGH T.





	1. Welcome to Hell

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own lab rats or anything from the original TV show. I only own this story, Vivyanna, any other OCs present, and anything else you don't recognize.

**Chase's POV**

" _Let them go!" Mr. Davenport shouted, fighting against the agents holding him back._

_It was all over. We'd been caught. We don't know how, but the government found out about us. So, in the middle of the night, they'd come for us. Leo and Tasha were locked upstairs, unable to help because the elevator had been shut down by the agents._

" _Chase!" I heard Bree scream. I turned to see her pinned to the ground by a couple of agents. I wanted to help her, I really did. But I was busy fighting off several agents myself. Adam was occupied too. At least eight agents were trying to take him down._

_Suddenly, there was a 'whoosh' through the air, and Adam collapsed to the ground, unconscious. "Adam!" I shouted, trying to get to him, but something sharp pricked my neck. My vision went blurry, then…nothing._

**Xxx**

As I slowly came back to my senses, I could feel someone or something jabbing me in the face over and over again. I groaned, rolled over, and pushed it away.

"Quicky, would you quit poking the dude? Seriously, it's weird." A female voice exclaimed in exasperation. The poking stopped.

"What do you think he can do?" another voice, this one of a young boy, asked. I groaned and forced my eyes open. I was lying on a hard mattress, in a dark, smelly room. I sat up, and saw the sources of the two voices.

There was a little boy sitting on the ground next to me. He was short, maybe about Leo's age, with short blonder hair and silvery eyes. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a black jacket. On the right side of the jacket was a label that read: 3862.

A girl sat on a bed across the room. She looked my age, with long, curly, dark brown hair. She was wearing black pants and a white sleeveless shirt, her jacket tossed carelessly across her bed. She raised an eyebrow when she saw I was awake.

"So, the zombie lives. It must have been a serious dose of that knockout stuff; you were out for at least eight hours." She commented. I shrugged, rubbing the back of my head.

"Where am I? Where are Adam and Bree? And Mr. Davenport?" I demanded, looking around as if they were hiding. Both of them frowned in confusion.

"Who're Adam, Bree and Mr. Davenport?" The boy asked. What had the girl called him? Quicky?

"Adam and Bree are my siblings, and Mr. Davenport's my father." I replied. The girl looked at me.

"Then why don't you say Dad instead of Mr. Davenport? Anyway, he's probably been arrested for housing freaks. They might leave him alone if they can't prove he created your powers." she told me, sounding rather bored.

"Powers?" How could she possibly know about my bionics? Had the agents told her? And where in the world was I? It seemed like a prison.

"Yeah, powers. Talents, special abilities. Whatever you want to call it dude." She shrugged. "If you can do anything totally unnatural, like run faster than lightning, or fly, or control the elements, you're a freak of nature. Or a freak of science, if that's how you got your powers."

"What she means to say is that if you can do things that you really shouldn't be able to, you end up here. Can your siblings do weird things?" the boy questioned. I hesitated. I shouldn't tell these people anything. I just met them, and it could be a trap. But they might also know where Adam and Bree are.

"Yes." I said slowly. The boy nodded.

"Then they're somewhere in the building." He assured me.

"Or they're dead." The girl commented dryly. I stared at her, while the boy glared at her.

"They're not dead. That only happened twice!" he exclaimed. He looked back at me. "And that was only because the two kids were very young and couldn't handle the knockout drug that was put in their system. So, unless your siblings are five year olds, they're fine."

I nodded, relieved. I wasn't too sure I liked the girl much, but the kid seemed okay. "What's your name?" he asked.

"It's Chase." I replied.

"Cool. I'm Alex, but most people call me Quicky. And this is Vivyanna." He told me.

"Where are we?" I asked again.

"Welcome to Hell." Vivyanna told me. I frowned.

"Welcome to Hell?" I repeated. Alex looked at Vivyanna.

"Can I?" he asked. She waved for him to continue. "Welcome to The Facility, the perfect vacation spot for freaks who want to be science experiments."

"Excuse me?" I gulped. Science experiments?

"Basically, if you have powers that the government doesn't understand or think they can use to their advantage, you're brought here." Vivyanna explained. "They perform whatever experiments they want on you, they push you past your limits, and then if you survive and they think you're good enough, they put you in their weapons program."

"Wait a minute. There are other people with strange abilities like me?" I questioned. I had always thought that this kind of stuff was just in Leo's comic books.

"Well, kids at least. We haven't seen an adult around here unless they're working for the people in charge." Alex replied. "But yeah."

"So, what can you do?" Vivyanna asked me. "And how'd you get your powers?" I didn't answer at first. She rolled her eyes. "Come on dude! We're going to find out on Friday anyway, so you might as well tell us now."

"What happens on Friday?" I asked. Alex glared at the ground.

"Sparring day. We get paired with someone and we have to fight them until one of us can't get back up." He sounded pissed off. "I can't believe they make us fight each other like this. Half the time, someone dies."

"What?" I gasped. "You're joking, right?"

They both shook their heads. "Not that often actually, but the fights get pretty intense." Vivyanna replied. I looked at her. "Most of the time, the loser has to be brought down to the medical wing. We usually don't see them for a few days after that."

"What if you just say no?" I questioned. They stared at me as if I'd grown two heads.

"Say no?" Alex repeated, shocked. I nodded, confused.

"Yeah, refuse to fight." I told him. Vivyanna shook her head.

"Some did that at first. I think about four in total. They took them into these rooms and…well; they didn't come out in one piece. And only two of them came out." She told me gravely. I gulped. What kind of trouble was I in?

"So, what can you two do?" I asked, trying to distract myself. Alex grinned.

"I'm fast. Really fast." He replied. "And I can teleport, but not long distances. I'm not sure how I got my powers though. It was as if they just appeared one day."

"What about you?" I looked at Vivyanna.

"Pyrokinesis." She replied. Her eyes lit up slightly, as if she was proud of her abilities. "I can create and control fire. I'd show off for you, but the cell blocks out powers."

I frowned, trying to access my computer memory. She was right; I was getting nothing.

"So, what can you do?" Alex asked me. I sighed.

"I'm smart. Really smart." I replied. I figured I would just tell them about that, and not include the levitation and molecular kinesis. I wasn't sure if I could trust them yet. Vivyanna looked bored.

"That's it? That's not really that impressive." She muttered. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Ignore her. There haven't been any newbies since Robot boy, and that was months ago."

I frowned. "Wait, how long have you two been here?" I questioned. I had thought that maybe it was a new place, that maybe they'd been here for a month or two before me.

"About two years." Alex replied. Vivyanna shrugged.

"I think it's been about…five or six years. What date is it?" she asked.

"It's the eleventh." I told her. She raised an eyebrow. "Of November."

"So five and a half years." She decided. I stared at her.

"Five years." I repeated. "That's a long time."

"I've been here longer than anyone else, well except my sister." She agreed. "But that's not a bad thing. The only way I could ever leave here is if they decide to use me in the weapon program, they do that with the more powerful ones, or in a casket. And personally, I don't enjoy the thought of being dead, so the weapon thing is my best option."

"Haven't you tried to escape?" I demanded. That couldn't be the only thing she had to look forward to. Vivyanna and Alex laughed darkly.

"Plenty of times. Never works. They always seem to know what we're planning when we're planning it. And going on my own isn't an option; there are people here that I can't leave behind." Vivyanna replied. I nodded in understanding. If I planned an escape, I would take Adam and Bree with me no matter what.

Suddenly, the lights flashed on. I blinked, not prepared for the sudden brightness. Alex and Vivyanna got up, the latter pulling on her jacket. I noticed a number on hers too. It was 7206.

"What's going on?" I asked, getting up from the bed and pulling on my own jacket. Suddenly, a holographic screen slid down from the ceiling. It showed several pairs of four-digit numbers followed by what looked like room numbers.

"This is the schedule for today." Alex explained. "Basically, it's the torture list."

"Let's see…" Vivyanna trailed off. "Quicky, you have sparring, sorry kid, with Ryder and Agent Hughson. I've got sparring too, but with Agent Pavalon and…Derek."

"Derek? Vivyanna…" Alex looked worried. I frowned.

"Who are they? The people you mentioned." I asked. Alex frowned.

"Well, the agents supervise us. They don't like us interacting with each other outside our cell. Ryder is a kid like us, around seventeen years old. He can control the weather. But Derek…" he trailed off.

"He's never lost a fight." Vivyanna finished. She ruffled Alex's hair playfully and gave him a smile. It was the first time I'd seen her smile since I'd woken up. "But don't worry kid. He can't stay undefeated forever. And I've been itching to kick his scrawny little ass since he last fought Roxanna. Anyway, Chase, you're number 5109, which means you have fighting practice with Agent Maybank and…hm. That's new."

"What?" I asked. Vivyanna shrugged.

"The number. It's new. Probably one of your siblings." She replied. I felt a surge of hope. They were okay!

"What about the other? Do you know what they're doing?" I demanded desperately. Vivyanna looked back at the screen.

"Let's see…the only other new number is 6973, and they have fighting practice as well. With Robot-boy."

"Who?" I questioned, but before she could answer, the door in front of us slid open. Three agents walked in, and roughly pushed us against the wall. Our hands were shoved behind our backs and cuffed. I tried to resist, but the agents were only rougher.

Vivyanna and Alex acted as if this was nothing new. Alex was pulled down one hallway, where he ended up side by side with an older boy. Vivyanna and I went down another, but soon we were separated too.

"See you later?" I asked hopefully. We would need all the help we could get if Adam, Bree and I were going to escape.

"Maybe!" She replied, then she was pushed out of view.


	2. Training and Surprises

**Adam's POV**

"Hey! Watch it!" I shouted as I was pushed along a hallway. I'd woken up a few hours before hand to find myself in a cell with two girls, one named Roxanna and the other called Banshee.

They, well mostly Roxanna had explained to me that I was in some sort of prison for kids with superpowers. Banshee hadn't said much; she seemed really quiet, but Roxanna told me that she was always like that. Then, we'd been forced out of the cell by some agents. I couldn't use my strength against them; the cell had blocked it, as did the handcuffs they'd forced onto me.

I was honestly just hoping that Chase and Bree were okay. I couldn't remember what happened to them, but Roxanna thought they might be here. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Move it!" The agent ordered as he pushed me into a large room. I was about to snap at him, but stopped when I saw who else was in the room.

"Chase!" I grinned. Thank God he was alright. He grinned as we were forced onto chairs next to each other. Two agents undid our handcuffs, and replaced them with these weird looking metal bracelets.

"Adam! Have you seen Bree?" Chase questioned. I shook my head.

"No, have you?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Vivyanna, a girl who shares a cell with me, said she's probably in another practice session." He replied.

"Is that what this is?" I asked. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, did you see that screen that came down before they dragged us out here?" I nodded. "Well, each room has a different purpose and the numbers next to the room are like ID codes. The only new numbers are you, me and Bree. She's with some guy called 'Robot Boy'."

I nodded. "So, you've got cell mates too? What powers do they have?" I questioned.

"Well, there's this kid named Alex, who has super speed. And Vivyanna can control fire. What about your cell mates?"

"Two girls. One is named Roxanna, and I think her powers have something to do with ice. I don't know about the other, but she's named Banshee." Chase looked at me.

"I think that's a nickname." He told me. "A banshee was a mythical creature that could release a high pitched scream."

"Really?" I was surprised. "She was so quiet."

Chase was about to respond, but was cut off when one of the agents walked over to us. He was tall, with black hair and beady eyes. "I am Special Agent Maybank!" he shouted. "I am your supervising officer for the day. You will do as I say when I say it and you will show me the proper respect. Do I make myself clear?"

I yawned loudly and Chase grinned. "Nope." I replied. Maybank raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't made myself clear?" he questioned. I shrugged.

"I guess not." I told him. Maybank smirked and glanced at Chase.

"You two were brought in together, am I right? Brothers, if I read your files correctly." He mused. I stood up, stepping in front of Chase.

"What's it to you?" I growled. He smirked and pulled out a remote. He pressed a red button on it.

"AHHH!" I spun around as Chase fell onto the ground, screaming in agony.

"Chase!" I exclaimed. I glared at Maybank. "Stop it!"

He let go of the button and Chase stopped screaming. He pushed himself off the ground, shaking weakly. "What did you do?" I demanded.

"Electricity flows through those bracelets. You disobey me, or if I just feel like it, I'll electrocute the other one. So, unless you want to be responsible for your brother's pain…" Maybank let the threat hang. I glared at him as Chase got to his feet.

"Adam, don't." he warned me as I started towards the man again. I stopped, and looked at Chase.

"I'm fine." He assured me. Maybank smiled.

"Enough." He told us. "Time to get to work."

"Work?" I repeated. Maybank stepped back from us and two agents pulled the chairs away. The ground beneath us raised about a foot, forcing us to look down on Maybank.

"We're going to work on your fighting skills today." He told us. Chase and I both stiffened.

"We're not going to attack each other." Chase glared daggers at him. Maybank laughed.

"You'll do as I tell you to." He reminded Chase. "But no. Today, we're just evaluating your skills. And your opponent is going to be virtual. Put on the glasses."

He tossed us each a pair of high tech glasses. I caught them and looked them over. They looked like the normal virtual simulator glasses Mr. Davenport would make us wear.

"Just like training back home." I said to Chase, who was looking at them suspiciously. He nodded and we put them on at the same time.

The room around us instantly changed. It seemed to get bigger, and it was so dark that I could hardly see Chase standing beside me. What I could see though, was that we were completely surrounded. There had to be at least two dozen people around us.

"Oh, shit. These guys take their training seriously." I cursed. Chase backed against me.

"I get left, you get right?" he suggested. I nodded. It didn't matter if we lost; they were just holograms.

"Go!" Chase ordered and I jumped on the first guy. I elbowed him in the head, then kicked the guy behind me in the stomach. They both dropped liked flies. I then attacked the next guy in line.

This time, he managed to get a punch in before I knocked him down. I gasped, not out of pain, but out of surprise. I actually felt that punch. Holograms and virtual simulators weren't supposed to hurt! If I ever got hit or kicked using Mr. Davenport's simulator, I couldn't even feel it, but this time I did!

I could see Chase going through his half of the crowd, and judging by the look on his face, he'd realized the same thing as me. One of the guys trying sweeping my legs out from under me, but I punched him in the face before he could. I then took down another two guys by throwing them into the far wall.

A sharp pain erupted in the back of my head. I hit my knees for a second, but knocked the guy out right after. I heard Chase call out as even more guys surrounded us. Two guys attacked me at once, one from behind, the other clawing at my face. There was a loud crunch and I was body-slammed into the ground, just as the simulation evaporated around me. Chase was on the ground next to me, cradling his left arm with a grimace on his face. Other than that, he seemed to not be too badly injured.

"That was pathetic." Maybank sneered at us. I glared at him as I raised my hand to my face. My nose hurt a lot, and I wasn't too surprised when my hand came away bloody.

"Pathetic?" I echoed angrily. "We took out ten men!"

"Yes, and even little Mira can take out fifteen." He snapped. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to survive."

Chase pushed himself off the ground and limped over to me. He offered me a hand, pulling me up as the agents showed a replay of our results on the screen.

"You okay?" I asked, gesturing at his arm. He tried to shrug, but decided better of it.

"Alright, let's do that again." Maybank ordered. "Can you at least try this time?"

"Again?" I gasped. He wanted us to get our asses kicked like that again?

"Man, I hope Bree's not going through this too." Chase commented. I nodded. If they laid a hand on my little sister, I would make them pay.

**Bree's POV**

"You've got to be kidding me!" I groaned, pushing myself off the ground. My eighth time through that damn simulator and I'd only managed to get eight of the agents out. I was supposed to be fighting along side someone else but they had been given a reprieve from fighting practice due to severe injuries. I was afraid to find out how he got them, or how badly he was injured.

Just as I was about to be put through another round of the fighting simulator, there was a loud alarm. Surprised, I spun around, trying to find the source.

Agent Keeton, the one in charge of my fight training, walked over to me. He was a shorter man, with a buzz-cut and brown eyes. "Hold out your hands." He instructed. I did as I was told; I'd already made the mistake of disobeying him. I wasn't that big a fan of the consequences.

He put my hands back in the power restricting hand cuffs and took off the electric bracelet. I was relieved that he could no longer electrocute me at will, but I still wished I could speed out of the training room and go find my brothers.

"Where are we going?" I demanded as he led me down a short hallway. He didn't answer me. Instead, he stopped at one door, opened, and pushed me in. I heard the click of the lock behind me. The room was very small, about the size of an office. There was a shower to my left, hidden by pale white sheets. Across the showers was a giant timer that read 8:53

"Hello." I spun around and realized that I wasn't alone in the room. Three other girls, two about my age and one about ten, were watching me with curious eyes.

The first girl was tall, with light brown hair and bright blue eyes. Behind her, a girl with dark brown hair sat on a bench, holding a wet towel over a cut on her forehead. The youngest of the girls stood behind her. She was crimson red hair, and piercing green eyes.

"Hi." I greeted, watching them carefully. They didn't look like agents, but they could be. Although, it was more likely that they were prisoners like me. I looked at the girl who was bleeding. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, you know. Derek." She said it as if it was obvious. I had no clue who Derek was, but apparently, he was the type of guy that would hit a girl. The brunette frowned at me. "Hey, you're Bree, right?"

"How do you know my name?" I demanded.

"The new guy in my cell, a midget with spiky hair, mentioned you." She replied. I stared at her.

"Do you mean Chase?" She knew where one of my brothers were! The girl nodded.

"Yeah, that's his name. You're his sister, right?" I nodded. "Oh, cool. I'd say that it's nice to meet you, but you'd rather be anywhere but here, am I right?"

"Yeah." I didn't even try to deny it. The light hair girl smiled kindly at me and offered me a towel.

"The shower's all yours if you want it." She offered. "You won't get another chance to clean off for a while. We get the showers every second day." She explained. I smiled gratefully. "Oh, I'm Roxanna by the way."

"Vivyanna." The dark haired girl nodded at me. She gestured at the red head. "She's Mira, but we all call her Banshee."

I nodded. They turned back to each other, so I stepped into the shower. The water was ice cold, and there was no shampoo or conditioner. But at least it was something. When I came out, the timer said 2:34.

"What happens when it hits zero?" I asked.

"We get taken back to our cells for today's meal." Roxanna explained. I nodded.

"I don't suppose they have room service here?" I joked. Roxanna cracked a smile.

"No, sorry." She replied. She was silent for a moment. "Hey, you had fighting practice this morning, right?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked. She sighed.

"Nothing, I was just curious. The only person doing that type of training, aside from you and your brothers was an old friend of mine. But he ended up fighting Derek yesterday, and he was hurt. I was wondering if he seemed alright."

I could tell that Roxanna was genuinely worried about this guy. I shook my head.

"They didn't bring him in because of his injuries. But apparently, he's supposed to be in my cell later." I told her. "I'll tell you that you were worried."

Roxanna smiled gratefully. "Thanks." She said just as the timer hit zero. Four agents, thankfully all women, came in. They each grabbed one of us and started pulling us down the halls. I looked at the girls desperately.

"If you see my brothers…" I trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

"We'll tell them you're alright!" Roxanna assured me. I tried to thank her, but didn't get the chance as I was pushed into my cell. I stumbled into someone, knocking them to the ground.

"Ow! Watch it!" He exclaimed. I stared at him, wide-eyed. No. No way. He gasped, recognizing me as well. "Bree?"

"M-Marcus?" I demanded, jumping to my feet. The android-boy stared up at me, just as shocked. I could hardly believe it. I'd thought Marcus was dead. And here he was, alive and well. Okay, make that alive. Marcus looked terrible. His right arm no longer resembled that of a human. Instead, it looked more like a robotic mess of wires and metal. Parts of the skin on his face were gone too, revealing the metal plates beneath.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned, shocked.

"The government grabbed us from our home." I replied. Marcus nodded thoughtfully. "What about you?"

"It's a long story." I glared at him. "Alright, so this is what happened…"


	3. Marcus' Story

**Marcus' POV**

_Flashback_

_After waking up under a pile of rubble, I realized that you guys had won and that my father had abandoned me. I couldn't believe it. I thought he cared about me, and I thought he would have come back for me. He never did. He ran away like a pitiful coward. I was so stupid to trust him._

_Finding out that I was an android was the worst part though. I thought I was human, like Dad. But it was impossible to deny, looking at my robotic arm. I also knew that androids had extremely short life spans. I knew I would die, and it wouldn't be very long until I did._

_But that didn't mean I was just going to throw in the towel. As soon as I realized that everyone that I was dead, I ran. I broke into the nearest store and stole everything I would need. Cash, some food, and a jacket to hide my arm from anyone I ran into. Then I caught the first bus out of the city._

_I made it through the first month fine. But after that, as it got closer to my sixteenth birthday, I could feel myself growing weaker. I didn't have long to live. I figured it would only be a day or two until I collapsed._

_Anyway, sometime in the evening, I was heading down the alleyway I now called home. I'd made myself a bit of a shelter behind the dumpster back there. It wasn't much, just a sleeping bag and other useful things I'd stolen. But it was better than nothing._

_But instead of finding an empty dumpster like I'd expected, there were already two girls fishing food out of it. I'd never seen them before in my life. Nor did they seem like the usual set of runaways. One of them had long, dark brown hair. The other was slightly taller, with lighter hair and blue eyes. Both of them were wearing black pants and black jackets, as if it was some sort of uniform._

" _Hello?" I called, drawing their attention. Both of their heads shot up, their eyes wide with fear. The girl with the lighter hair raised her fists as if she was expecting a fight. "Whoa, relax. I'm just curious as to what you're up to."_

_The girls tensed, their eyes narrowing. "I don't see how it's any of your business." The dark haired girl growled. "Now move along."_

_It was then that I noticed that she had my backpack on her back. It was likely still full of all the food and money I had. "Hey! That's mine!" I exclaimed. She looked down at the back, surprised._

" _Run!" The other girl shouted, jumping out of the dumpster. Her sister (they looked too much alike to not be related) bolted after her and they ran as if their lives were on the line. I chased after them. If they got away with that bag, I'd have nothing left._

" _Come back here!" I shouted as they ran out into the busy street. The idiots hadn't noticed the massive amount of cars flying past them. One of them, the lighter haired girl stumbled and fell, right in front of a car. She raised her hands out in front of her, as if she could shield herself from the car._

_I stopped, staring at the scene before me. Impossible. I must have been dreaming it. But no. Right in front of the girl's open hands, a wall of ice started to grow. It grew with every millisecond, getting larger and larger until it shielded her completely. The car smashed into it, slamming to a stop. But the girl was completely protected._

_She stood up and looked at the car worriedly. The driver was slumped in the front seat, his head resting against the slowly deflating airbag. The girl was too distracted by the driver that she didn't notice the massive SUV coming right at her._

" _Look out!" I shouted, throwing my hands out. I didn't think. I didn't have time to. I acted impulsively, using my molecular kinesis to stop the car where it was. Both girls, the one on the street and the one on the other side, stared at me in shock._

_I should have run. I would have run, but my legs felt like Jello. My bionics always had drained my energy, but never this much. I hadn't used them in so long. I'd stopped using them in the past few days when I started to get weaker. Even that small effort, stopping the car, left me pathetically weak._

_I didn't even realize that I'd collapsed until I felt the gravel dig into my skin. My vision dimmed, and the last thing I saw before blacking out was the light haired girl running towards me._

_**Xxx** _

" _Okay. So, I'm pretty sure he's not dead." A voice said as something jabbed into my ribs. I groaned, curling in on my self. Couldn't the voice just let me sleep? Apparently not, because I was once again jabbed in the ribs._

" _Vivy, don't kick the guy!" Another voice, this one softer._

" _I can't help it, Roxy! I'm bored! Besides, it's not as if he's another human being." I opened my eyes at that. I was lying on top of something soft, probably a blanket, on a hard wood floor. The room was mostly empty, expect for a fire place and a single window. Judging by the lack of sunlight coming in, I assumed that it was night time._

_One of the girls from earlier, the dark haired one, sat between me and the fire. I watched as she waved her hand over the fire, the flames following her hand like they were attracted to it._

" _Hey, I think he's awake." The lighter haired girl suddenly appeared next to me, her blue eyes shining worriedly. "Hi there."_

_Since there was no sense in pretending I was still unconscious, I sat up. I blinked, surprised. I had thought I would have felt worse, weaker, but no. I felt absolutely fine, better than I had in a long time. "How do you feel?" The light haired girl asked me._

" _Good, thanks." I replied, wearily. The dark haired girl looked at me._

" _You're a robot." She said simply. Her sister sent her a glare._

" _Could you really be any more blunt, Vivyanna?" she questioned. Vivyanna shrugged._

" _Who are you?" she asked me curiously. "And who's the idiot who did your wiring? They should be completely ashamed of themselves. What crappy work!"_

" _What do you mean?" I demanded. She stared at me._

" _Well, the dumbass who created you did the wiring wrong. Completely wrong." She stated. "I mean, it took me an hour to fix that mess!"_

" _Why would you?" I didn't mean for it to come out harsh, but I was suspicious. Why would this girl even think to mess with my wiring? And how did she know what I was?_

" _Well, you DID save Roxanna's ass, so when you collapsed; we figured that we had to do something. And after seeing your wicked cool arm, I knew you were a robot. So, I was curious as to why you passed out. It was because the wires were in the wrong spots. Too much of your power was directed into the weapon systems, and not into your life systems. That caused an overload with the weapons, which in turn-"_

" _Vivyanna, I'm pretty sure you're the only one who understands what you're saying." Roxanna told her. Vivyanna stopped talking and glared at her._

" _Fine. Your idiot creator screwed up and I fixed you because you saved my sister. That's the short version." She crossed her arms and glared at Roxanna. "Happy now?"_

_I couldn't help but chuckle at their bickering. "So, seriously though. Who are you?" Vivyanna asked, turning back to me. I hesitated. They knew I was an android already, and clearly Vivyanna had gotten to see what type of weapons I had on me. What harm could come from telling them a little bit about me?_

" _My name's Marcus." I replied. Roxanna nodded._

" _Cool. I'm Roxanna, by the way. And this is my sister, Vivyanna." She introduced. I nodded._

" _Before I saved your life…" I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase my sentence. "That car was going to hit you, and you stopped it." I saw both girls tense. "How?"_

_Roxanna was about to answer, but Vivyanna cut her off. "That's none of your business!" she hissed, sliding closer to the fire. I noticed how the flames once again seemed to be drawn towards her._

" _Look, you know what I am and what I can do, but I know nothing about you except your names." I said, standing up. "Telling me the truth is the least you can do, seeing as you did steal my stuff anyway."_

" _We need it." Vivyanna snapped, grabbing the backpack. She pulled out a granola bar. It was then that I noticed just how thin the girls were. They must have been on their own for a while._

" _Clearly." I commented. I sighed. "Look, maybe we can help each other. Obviously, there's more power in numbers."_

_Roxanna hesitated. "What are you proposing?" she questioned._

" _Well, first you can tell me what you did back there. Then you can tell me why you're on the run. And then maybe we can help each other." I suggested. Both girls looked at each other._

" _We can keep the food?" Vivyanna asked. I nodded. "Deal. You're up first, Roxy."_

" _Really? Why me?" she questioned. Vivyanna shrugged._

" _Because he's already seen what you can do." She replied, tossing the granola wrapper into the fire. Roxanna sighed._

" _Fine. I can control ice and snow. I'm sort of an ice queen, I guess." She told me. I nodded._

" _Cryokinesis." I said. She nodded. "That's cool."_

" _Dude, pathetic." Vivyanna grinned. I frowned, then realized the lame pun I made._

" _Wasn't trying to be." I shrugged. "But what about you? Pyrokinesis?"_

_Vivyanna looked surprised. "How did you know?" she demanded. I nodded at the fire. The flames were practically hugging her arm, and she had yet to notice._

" _Well, it doesn't look like you've got a single burn." I replied. "Plus, it follows you as if you're its master or something."_

_Vivyanna smirked. Then she shoved her hand into the fire. When she pulled it out, the flames came with, surrounding her hand. They died out after a minute, revealing her completely uninjured hand. "Yeah, I'm pyrokinetic. Pretty sweet, huh?"_

" _It's alright." I admitted. Roxanna looked at me curiously._

" _Do, you're serious? About the whole, let's work together thing?" she asked. I nodded._

" _Well, it's easier to have help than go out alone. Besides, it looks like we can help each other." I replied._

" _How?" Roxanna asked._

" _Well, you two obviously are capable of taking care of yourselves, and I'm guessing you haven't been home in a while." Both of them nodded. "I've got some experience and supplies. Not to mention, I'm better at hiding my abilities."_

_Roxanna looked like she was about to argue, but her sister cut her off before she could. "He's sort of got a point Roxy. I'm glad you're okay – God knows what I would have done without you – but a lot of people saw the whole ice wall thing. We don't want to get caught. Again."_

_Roxanna looked seriously bothered by that. I wondered briefly about what had happened the first time they got caught._

" _I can show you how to make things like that look like accidents." I offered. The girls considered it._

" _Alright." Roxanna said after a while. Vivyanna nodded._

" _Sure. You could be useful." She gave me a look that reminded me of how Dad used to be with his inventions. She was looking at me as if I was just some machine that she couldn't wait to take apart and examine._

" _So, anyway." Roxanna must have noticed the look too. "What happened to your arm, Marcus? Get in a fight?"_

_She was teasing me, but at the same time was curious. I knew I couldn't tell her the truth – both girls would be upset to find out I'd helped Dad kidnap people – so I decided on the first thing that came to me._

" _There was an earthquake." I replied. "I got trapped under some rubble just a couple of months ago."_

_Roxanna grimaced. "That's terrible." She murmured, almost apologetically. I looked at her, then Vivyanna._

" _What about you two? What's with the matching outfits?" I asked. They both tensed._

" _It's a long story." Vivyanna said quickly. I frowned._

" _I told you what happened to me." I reminded her. Roxanna crossed her arms, almost in a comforting manner._

" _There's this…place where kids with powers end up." She spoke hesitantly. "We escaped a few days ago."_

" _But you said that you-" I was cut off by Vivyanna._

" _Technically, we left home four or five years ago. But we were caught by those damn government agents and…" she trailed off. I could tell that this was something neither girl wanted to talk about._

" _Where are we?" I asked, changing the subject. "This place isn't yours, is it?"_

_They laughed, relaxing slightly. "No, we're just squatting."_

_I frowned. "Squatting?" I repeated. Roxanna nodded._

" _Yeah, squatting. It's when you 'borrow' a foreclosed or abandoned building for a while. We've been staying here all week, but we were going to move on tomorrow." She explained. I nodded._

" _Alright." I agreed. Vivyanna stood up._

" _Well, I'm going to get some sleep. I've got dibs on the master bedroom, by the way. Whoever lived here left the bed. Idiots." She grinned. "Nice to meet you, by the way."_

" _You too." I replied. Roxanna and I stayed up for a while, talking. Mostly about random things, like how she and her sister discovered their powers, where they planned on going next, and things like that. I liked Roxanna a lot more than Vivyanna – she asked less questions, and didn't try to pry. And she wasn't nearly as secretive, although I figured asking about what happened with the government wouldn't be a good idea._

_We left town the next day, catching a bus to another city. It was a bigger city, and it had a lot of people. According to the girls, this was both a good and bad thing. It was good because it would be easier to blend in, and they knew a few more ways to get food in the city than the country. But it was bad because it also meant more security at stores, making it much harder to nick things like food and money._

_We managed to find a place to stay – an apartment downtown that had been closed due to a rat infestation. We took care of the rats quickly enough (Vivyanna and I were on the "killing patrol" while Roxanna sealed up any holes they could get in through), and managed to get some things from a small convenience store. We'd even managed to get the power back on, so we didn't have to rely solely on our abilities._

_Things were pretty okay for a while. We had food, shelter, and it was nice to have someone to talk to. But then, not even a week after we arrived, we were found out._

" _Hand them over." Roxanna grinned. I sighed and tossed her my two._

" _I swear you're cheating." I muttered. Seriously, I thought this card game was about luck, not skill. Roxanna smirked._

" _I just got good cards, now flip!" We both flipped over a card. She had an eight, I had a seven. "Or you just have a terrible deck." She added as she took both of them for herself._

" _No, you definitely cheat." Vivyanna smirked. She'd refused to play cards, instead entertaining herself by watching me lose. "Why do you think I refuse to play War with you? Somehow, you always seem to-"_

_Vivyanna froze suddenly. Roxanna's smile fell, and she looked at her sister worriedly. "Something wrong?" she asked._

_Vivyanna slowly got to her feet, then ducked out into the apartment's main hall. She came back a second later. "Never mind, I thought I heard something."_

" _Oh, if that's all…" Roxanna trailed off as the lights suddenly went out. It was pitch black for a moment, then a ball of fire appeared in Vivyanna's hand. It lit the room up just enough for us to see each other's outlines._

" _Power outage?" I suggested. Vivyanna opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as a large hand grabbed her over the mouth. She let out a muffled scream and I pushed both her and the attacker back with my molecular kinesis._

_There was a loud thud as her fire was extinguished. "Run for it!" Vivyanna called as she grabbed me and Roxanna by the wrists. We bolted to the door, only to run into four large men._

" _Oh shit." I heard Roxanna mutter before a blast of cold air hit me. It was so dark, I didn't dare us my laser vision for fear of hitting the girls, but that didn't stop me from using my super strength against anyone who touched me._

_More men filed into the apartment as we desperately tried to fight our way out. "Marcus!" Roxanna's voice was coming from farther inside the apartment. She sounded desperate._

" _Roxy!" Vivyanna was beside me, fire surrounding her feet._

" _I'll get her!" I promised, running after the voice. I ran into the main room, finding Roxanna lying on the ground, unconscious. Two men and a women stood above her, all armed._

_I ran at them, ready to fight, when something hit me in shoulder. Frowning, I turned my head to see a small dart-like syringe poking out from my shoulder. I reached to remove it, but my movements were sluggish, and spots were dancing in front of my eyes. I hit the ground a second later, and everything went black._

_Flashback over_

**Bree's POV**

"When I woke up, I was in this cell." Marcus finished. "Vivyanna and Roxanna both ended up somewhere here, but I haven't seen either of them since Friday."

I frowned at him, going through everything he had told me. "So, they just grabbed you guys like they did us?" I asked. Marcus nodded.

"I guess. So Adam and Chase are here?" I didn't answer. "Thought so. I'm sorry you're here, if that helps."

"What about being sorry for kidnapping us?" I demanded. Marcus didn't answer as the cell door was opened again. A boy my age, with shoulder length, shaggy brown hair was pushed in by a guard. Then three bags were tossed in and the door was slammed shut. The boy frowned at me, then Marcus, who was still sitting on the ground. Apparently, he could feel the tension in the air.

"Hey, are you guys going to kill each other? Because if you do, can you avoid getting blood on my mattress?" He asked. I rolled my eyes at his attempt to calm us.

"Stay out of this Rhyder." I'd met the boy that morning when I woke up. He seemed friendly enough, and pretty cool.

"We're not going to kill each other." Marcus assured him. Rhyder grinned and offered him a hand. Marcus took it and was pulled to his feet.

"Good." He replied. I glanced at the three bags.

"What are those?" I asked. Rhyder grinned, grabbed one and tossed it to me.

"Today's meal." He replied, getting one for him and Marcus. Marcus sat down on the bed farthest from mine, digging into his. I opened my bag and dumped it out on my bed. Inside were a burger, a small box of fries and a bottle of water. I turned to Rhyder, who had gotten the same thing. He was shovelling the burger into his mouth as if he hadn't ever tasted anything so good.

"Wait, you said today's meal." I realized. He nodded. "So this is all we get until tomorrow evening?" Rhyder nodded again, gulping down his meal. "My older brother would eat this as a snack! They've got to give us breakfast at least."

"Sorry. It's all we've got. But hey, it could be worse. They could be giving us mouldy bread and raw meat." He offered. I stared at him.

"Yeah, but-" Marcus stopped me.

"Look, it's all you're going to get. So, stop complaining already. Your food's getting cold." He snapped at me. I glared at him. Rhyder looked uncomfortable.

"Do you to, uh, know each other?" He asked.

"It's a long story." I replied coolly. Rhyder nodded and sat down on his bed.

"Alrighty then. This should be fun." I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic, or if he really thought it would be amusing. All I knew was that staying in a cage with Marcus was not going to be anywhere near fun.


	4. Fights and Mysteries

**Vivyanna's POV**

I rolled my eyes as I watched that new kid, Chase, paced impatiently in front of the cell door. What an odd kid. Why would he be impatient for the fights? Alex and I had tried to explain it to him. On Friday, we would fight and we would fight until our opponents could not fight back. And sometimes, some people would keep hurting the downed kid.

But this guy, this guy couldn't wait. I knew he was desperate to see his siblings (he'd asked both of us daily for any news we had about them), but this was ridiculous. I had the feeling he wouldn't last long here. He wasn't like the other kids that had been brought in here. He was…different.

"Would you quit pacing? It's driving me nuts!" I exclaimed. Chase stopped where he was and turned to face me.

"Sorry." He muttered. I rolled my eyes, and looked at Alex. He was sitting on his bed, looking at the cell door as if he might be sick.

"Quicky." I called. He looked at me and I smiled reassuringly at him. "Relax. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Last time we fought, I woke up the next day in the infirmary with a fractured wrist." He reminded me, rubbing the now healed wrist. I bit my lip and tried to think of something to reassure him. Comforting people wasn't really my thing.

"Right. But don't forget, you're small and fast. Use that to your advantage." I advised. "They can't hurt you if they can't catch you."

Alex nodded and I glanced at Chase. I felt a stab of sympathy. No one came out of their first fight without a scratch. "As for you, stay on your feet. If you go down, you'll end up dead."

Chase narrowed his eyes at me, trying to see if I was being honest or sarcastic. "Thanks." He replied cautiously as three guards appeared at our cell door. I got up.

"It's about time." I said loudly as they opened the door. I got a slap on the cheek for my rudeness. The agent that hit me grabbed my wrist and forced a shock bracelet onto it. The same thing happened to the others. We were then forced down a hallway to our right. We were led into a large, white room. In the middle of the room was a large cage, big enough for two people to brawl in it.

Three people were already waiting for us. The first was Rhyder, a tall boy with shaggy brown hair. Next was Robot Boy, the devilishly handsome Marcus. Or, at least that's what my sister says about him. I'd never really noticed. The last person was the girl from the shower room, the one with brown hair.

"Chase!" The girl exclaimed. She sped over at a speed only Alex could match, and threw her arms around him. He hugged her tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay, Bree." He murmured. I smirked at the reunion, then jogged over to Marcus. He glanced at me, then at Chase.

"Don't tell me your friends with him." He said, glaring daggers at the boy. I turned to see Chase staring wide eyed at Marcus.

"You two know each other?" I questioned. Marcus nodded reluctantly.

"It's a long story, but yeah." He replied. I frowned.

"We've got time." I gestured at the half empty room. Marcus shook his head.

"Stay out of it, Vivyanna." He warned me. I nodded in understanding. If Marcus had dark secrets in his past, that was perfectly fine. I did too, things that I wouldn't even tell my sister. I had no problem with him keeping his secrets.

"You know that you guys are being stared at, right?" A joking voice asked. I spun around to see Roxanna standing behind us. I hadn't even heard her come in. "Seriously, you've got a few of fans." She told us, gesturing at Chase, Bree, and a tall, dark haired boy. I figured that the guy was Adam, Chase's older brother.

"Yeah, Marcus knows them." I replied dismissively. Roxanna and Adam weren't the only people here. Everyone's favourite redhead, little Mira, was standing with Alex, who was telling her something with this excited look on his face. Rhyder was watching them with an amused smirk.

I couldn't help but smile at the scene. Watching Alex look so animated made it almost possible to forget we were in this hellhole. I think that was the point to this relaxed atmosphere. They wanted us calm and collected before we were forced to fight.

Suddenly, the doors swung open, and the atmosphere changed completely. A tall boy, with short black hair and brown eyes walked in. We all froze as his cold, calculating eyes swept over us. "Derek." I muttered under my breath.

One of the agents, Special Agent Maybank stepped forward. I saw Chase and his brother tense as he approached the cage. They'd probably had him this week. "Freaks!" He used the usual insult to get our attention. "Let's begin. The first fight will be between numbers…3862 and 4378!"

Those were Alex and Rhyder's numbers. Two agents led them to the cage and they walked in. The rest of us settled by the side of the cage, watching them.

"On three. One, two-" Alex never could wait for three. He sped at Rhyder, who dodged it as if he'd been ready for it. Of course he was. Damn psychic. He raised his hands and Alex went flying into the back of the cage. The little guy flipped in mid air and was already running the second his feet hit the ground. I smiled, proud of the kid. If anyone ever asked, I would lie and say I taught him that.

Alex jumped at the last moment, kicking Rhyder in the chest. He stumbled back, but didn't waste anytime. He used another telekinetic wave to send Alex to the ground. Before he could get up, Rhyder was already on him, kicking him in the stomach.

"Winner!" Maybank announced. Rhyder stopped immediately and waited as Alex picked himself up. They both left the cage and I ran over to Alex.

"Where are you hurt?" I demanded. Alex shook his head.

"Just a bruise. Rhyder couldn't really hurt me." He replied. I nodded. Rhyder wouldn't hurt a little kid. It just wasn't in his nature. In fact, I was glad that Alex had fought him. The kid was like a brother to me, and I trusted Rhyder enough to know that Alex was safest with him.

"Next up are the numbers…" Maybank continued, "…1907 and 1450."

I frowned. "Who's 1450?" I asked, confused. 1907 was Mira, but I hadn't heard the other number before. Adam looked up, a little surprised.

"I am." He replied. I glanced at Marcus.

"What's your bet?" I asked as Adam and Mira were led into the cage. Chase and Bree walked over to the cage, standing a few feet away from us. Chase sent us an uneasy look.

"Adam's not too bright, but he's strong. But he's also not likely to attack Mira, so he's done for." Marcus decided after a moment. I looked back at the fight.

Mira was in the middle, trying to look innocent, while Adam was standing there. I could see the conflicted look on his face. He didn't want to fight her. But that didn't mean he had a choice.

"One…two…three!" Maybank counted down. The second he hit three, Mira opened her mouth.

Most of us had the sense to cover our ears, but Adam, Bree, and Chase were all new. They didn't know about her abilities.

A high pitched, blood curdling scream filled the room. I grimaced, the torturous sound hitting my ears. It felt as if my ears were going to explode.

But if I thought it was bad, I could hardly imagine what it was like for the newbies. They all hit the floor, clutching their ears. I think they were screaming too, but I couldn't hear them. Suddenly, the sound stopped as Maybank gestured for Mira to stop.

"Winner." He announced. Mira nodded and skipped over to Adam. He was still on his knees, a dazed look on his face.

"Chase, are you alright?" I turned to see Bree kneeling next to her brother, a concerned look on her face. He looked like he was about to pass out, his hands still over his ears.

"Hey!" I called, drawing their attention. "She's done now. You can get up."

Bree sent me an angry glare, but Chase stood up on shaky legs. He rubbed his ears and muttered something to his sister.

"The next fight," Maybank continued as if we hadn't just had our eardrums destroyed, "will be between numbers…1483 and 6973."

Roxanna tensed next to me, as did Bree. I glanced at my sister.

"Kick her ass." I whispered. Marcus nodded.

"She's fast, but you're a better fighter. Think Alex, but bigger." He advised. Roxanna nodded and smiled at us gratefully as she followed Bree into the cage. I walked over to Chase and leaned against the cage for a better view.

"So, how do you know Marcus?" I questioned, curiously. Just because I knew not to ask Marcus the question, did not mean I was just going to let the matter rest. Chase looked at me, surprised.

"You don't know?" he asked. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Would I ask you if I did?" I retorted. He never answered, because Maybank had started the fight. We both watched in nervous anticipation as our two sisters circled each other.

Bree made the first move. Marcus was right when he said she was fast. She ran at my sister at full speed. Roxanna was fast to though. Instead of jumping out of the way, she froze the floor solid.

Bree stumbled slightly and couldn't stop herself from crashing into the cage wall when Roxanna side stepped her. She spun around and glared at my sister.

"What, never learned how to skate?" Roxanna teased lightly. I laughed. Bree raised an eyebrow, then sped at Roxanna. Roxanna tried the same trick as before, but Bree was anticipating it. She leapt into the air and tackled Roxanna to the ground.

Alex hooted as the two girls started wrestling on the ground. I sent him a glare and shook my head. Alex could be such an immature little boy sometimes.

A blast of ice hit the cage next to me, bringing me back to the fight. Roxanna jumped to her feet, Bree on the ground under her. But Bree kicked her legs out, tripping Roxanna. She landed on her hands and knees just as Bree tackled her from behind and had her in a headlock.

"Come on, Roxy!" I urged. But it was too late, Bree pinned her to the ground, not letting her up. After a few seconds, Maybank gestured that the fight was over.

"Winner!" He announced. Bree got up and left. Roxanna followed a little slower. I ran after her as she sulked over to Marcus.

"Stupid little…" She muttered to herself.

"It's fine Roxanna." He assured her. "I've fought and lost to Bree before. It's no big deal."

"You have?" We both looked at him, surprised. He nodded.

"Yeah. Anyway," he said, changing the subject, "who's left?"

"You, me, Chase…and Derek." I replied, trailing off. Marcus nodded.

"Okay, so if we're lucky, Chase will fight Derek, and then it'll be you and me." We both knew that Derek was a brutal fighter. I sighed.

"But how often are we that lucky?" I questioned.

"The next fighters are…5109 and 6723." Maybank announced. I blinked in surprise.

"Apparently, a lot." I said as Chase and Derek stepped into the cage. Maybank looked at them, and smirked.

"On three…one…two…three!" Derek wasted no time attacking Chase. He leapt at him, only for Chase to grab his fist and stop him. Uh-oh. Chase didn't know. Derek's powers worked through physical touch.

Derek backed off, smirking. Chase frowned, unsure of why he was smiling. Suddenly, Derek's hands opened and a small plasma ball appeared in them.

"Whoa, what?" I looked round at Marcus. I wasn't the only one surprised.

"What's going on?" Bree demanded, running over to us with Adam at her heels.

"Derek can borrow a person's powers or abilities." Roxanna explained.

"But Chase said that he was super smart!" I objected. "I'm pretty sure that plasma balls aren't included with that."

"Derek can borrow abilities?" Bree demanded. "Why didn't you warn Chase?"

I stared at her. "It's not my job to tell him everything. He's got to figure it out by himself ." I backed away as Derek sent a plasma ball at Chase. Chase dodged it and it hit the cage right above our heads.

Derek sent another shot at Chase, but he deflected it with a force field thing. I looked at his siblings. He jumped at Derek, kicking him three times, once in the face and twice in the chest, all while levitating in mid air. We all froze, staring at Chase wide eyed as he touched down and backed off.

"He just hit Derek." Alex whispered. He and Mira had come over to us during our conversation. "No one hits Derek."

Derek was apparently thinking the same thing as he wiped a blood smear from under his nose. He looked at Chase with this murderous look in his eyes.

"You little punk!" Derek flung himself at Chase, all the while shooting plasma balls at him. Chase didn't get his force field up in time, and was thrown back by the numerous plasma balls attacking him. He hit the cage wall roughly, but Derek wasn't done. He punched Chase in the face, then kicked him the one place you should never kick. Chase slid to the ground with a groan, but Derek kept kicking him and kicking him.

"Do something!" Bree shouted at Maybank. He continued to watch the fight with a vaguely amused gaze. Finally, I'd had enough.

"Derek! Stop!" I ordered. He ignored me. I narrowed my eyes, focusing, and his sleeve caught fire.

"Ah!" He exclaimed, jumping back. He threw his jacket off, stomping on it to put the fire out. It was just the distraction Chase needed to scramble back a few feet. Unfortunately for him, he passed out before he could get far.

Derek looked up from his smouldering jacket and stared at me. Two agents opened the cage door, and ran over to Chase while Derek stormed out. Alex and Mira made themselves scarce as he approached me.

"How dare you!" He hissed. I gulped nervously, but held his gaze.

"He was down. You won. The fight was over." I said as calmly as I could. Derek looked outraged.

"The fight is over when I say the fight is over." He growled, grabbing me by the throat. He pushed me to the nearest wall, his grip tightening. I raised my hands to my throat, trying to pull him off. I could see a group of agents leading the others away, although it was clear that none of them wanted to move. One of the agents were literally carrying Alex back to the cell.

I looked at Derek pleadingly, starting to feel dizzy. "De-rek…" I gasped out. "Plea-ease!"

He didn't care. Through the black dots that swam across my vision, I saw him smile .I desperately tried setting him on fire again, but he had borrowed my invulnerability to the flames. They did nothing.

Just as I lost consciousness, a hand grabbed Derek by the shoulder. I felt myself fall, but I didn't remember hitting the ground.

**Xxx**

" _How dare you try to escape!" Maybank stood before me, looking absolutely furious. I'd only woken up a few seconds previous, and had nearly had a heart attack when I'd found him standing above him. "Did you honestly think you could?"_

_We managed to stay away for three weeks, so yeah, I sort of did. But I knew better than to say that aloud. Maybank played with a remote in his hands. "Well, I should probably thank you." He continued. "You brought us another subject."_

_Marcus. He'd been caught, just because he was hanging around with us. "Sir, where's my sister?" I asked. He backhanded me across the face._

" _You'll speak when spoken to, do I make myself clear?" He demanded. I nodded quickly. He glared at me when I didn't reply._

" _Yes sir." I said quietly. Maybank suddenly got a gleam in his eyes. I didn't like that gleam._

" _Escape attempts, fighting back against the other agents, speaking without permission…you need to be taught a lesson." He smiled coldly at me. "The Chair."_

_I froze as two agents walked towards me. "No. No, please sir. You….you can't! I'll be good. I promise! Just…no!"_

_They dragged me kicking and screaming. But before they could bring me into the room, everything started to get dark. There was a loud shouting in the background._

" _Vivyanna, wake up! Vivyanna!"_

**Xxx**

I shot up with a gasp. I was lying in a cot, in the middle of a tan coloured room that smell of antiseptic. There was a desk by the door, which was probably locked. I was in the infirmary. Chase was standing above me, a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright? It sounded like you were having a nightmare."

I closed my eyes, trying to slow my breathing. Why did I have to think of that now? Really, having that dream fresh in memory was the last thing I needed right now. Especially now.

"I'm…fine." I managed to get out. I rubbed my sore throat, my fingers resting on the bruises that were already forming. I opened my eyes and glanced back at Chase. "You're shirtless." I commented.

It was true; his shirt was at the edge of the cot next to me. His ribs were wrapped up in soft, white bandages. He grimaced and sat down on his cot. "Yeah. Got a couple of cracked ribs thanks to Derek." He replied. He frowned, then added, "Thanks, by the way."

"Forget it." I muttered. "But next time, stay on your feet. I was serious when I told you to do that."

Chase seemed annoyed. "I wasn't trying to lose." He muttered. I rolled my eyes.

"It doesn't matter if you were trying to win or not. What matters is the fact that you got your ass kicked and I got my ass kicked trying to help you. And I'm not going to let that happen again." I replied.

"I didn't ask for your help." Chase snapped.

"You're right. I should have let him beat the shit out of you." I told him. "It might have toughened you up."

"I don't need to toughen up." Chase argued. I looked at him in the eyes.

"Actually, you do. All three of you do. Well, your sister's managed to beat Roxanna, so she's okay, but you and your brother need to get stronger. Adam could have won if he was willing to attack Mira. She's not very good at hand to hand, and he's much bigger. But he hesitated. And if you hadn't backed off after you got our first kick in, you might have won too." I informed him. He looked shocked at what I'd said, but I didn't care. "Look, you're not going to survive in here long unless you're willing to do anything to survive."

"Even if that means becoming like Derek. Or you." Chase added, looking at me coldly. I grit my teeth together.

"I'm a survivor Chase. I'm not ashamed to admit that. I actually want to live." I said back. Chase rolled his eyes.

"This isn't living! This…" he trailed off, searching for the right words. "This is torture. Maybe you can survive this, but this is no way to live."

 _I know_  I wanted to say.  _I don't want to live like this either. I just want out._

Instead, I laughed. "Well, if you've got an escape plan, let me know."

Chase didn't have an answer to that. I knew he didn't. I felt slightly guilty about what I was planning. Yeah, sure the guy was annoying, but maybe he deserved to know…

Suddenly, the door opened and a short, blonde eighteen year old woman walked in. She looked at me with amused sea green eyes. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No. It's good to see you Sarah." Sarah Jones was one of the three medics in the facility and by the far the nicest person I'd ever met. Seriously, you couldn't find a nicer person. The only reason she even worked here was because she was desperate for the money.

Her parents had died a couple of years ago, leaving her and her kid sister all by themselves. Sarah had taken the government job because A, she couldn't afford med school anymore and B, she needed the money to support her and her sister.

Sarah smiled at me, then at Chase. She grabbed a glass of water off her desk, then pulled the chair around so she could face me. I lifted my head towards the ceiling so she could examine my neck.

"So, what did you do to upset Derek this time?" She inquired.

"Oh, you know. He hates me, I hate him. It's a deep, deep hatred." I told her, not looking at Chase.

"Right, don't tell me. Well, I hope you got a punch in before he tried to kill you." She glanced at Chase. "Ninety-five percent of my patients were sent here because of him."

"I can tell why." He replied, rubbing his ribs with a grimace. Sarah removed her hands from my neck.

"Alright, the bruising doesn't seem too bad and you can still talk, so I think you're fine. But if you have trouble breathing, ask to be brought back here." She told me. I nodded and she handed me the glass of water. I took a greedy gulp. This water was cool and clean, unlike what the guards usually gave us.

Sarah turned to Chase. "Okay, lift your arms above your head." She ordered. He did as she asked, a pained look on his face the entire time. "Alright, Chase, you've got two options. You can either go back to your cell with Vivyanna here, or you can stay the night and I can give you some meds. But if you do stay, you could still be forced to fight tomorrow. And the last thing you want is to fight while you're drugged up."

Chase thought about it. "I'll go back to my cell." He decided. Sarah nodded approvingly.

"Good. Now you two, try and stay out of trouble." It was useless saying that – this entire place was trouble. Sarah stepped outside the door as Chase pulled his T-shirt back on. Two agents, Colledge and St. Jean, walked back in with Sarah.

"Get a move on." Agent Colledge ordered. We both nodded and started to follow him and his partner out the door. Suddenly, I stumbled over Sarah's outstretched leg.

"You're so clumsy!" Sarah exclaimed, kneeling down to help me up. She whispered in my ear, "Tuesday, midnight."

I didn't acknowledge that I'd heard her in anyway. We were brought back to our cell, where Alex waited for us. He sped towards me and Chase as the door was closed behind us and tackled the both of us in a hug.

I didn't say much, especially not to Chase. Instead, I grabbed my now cold dinner and climbed into bed. I ate in silence, and waited patiently for both boys to fall asleep. Alex lost consciousness first, but by time Chase was out cold, it was almost midnight.

Eventually though, I was the only one up. Quietly, I dug the small ear piece out of my mattress. I clicked it on.

"Guys?" I whispered. Three voices replied that they were awake. I sighed. Good. If all of us were here, I wouldn't have to repeat myself.

"Four days from now, at midnight. We're gone." I whispered, my mind completely focused on the plan.


	5. Holograms

**Chase's POV**

"I wonder what they're talking about." I muttered to Alex.

It was Tuesday afternoon, four days after my fight with Derek. My ribs were still killing me. It burnt painfully each time I breathed, but I didn't regret my decision to take no medicine; we'd been given hard training everyday since the fight.

As for today, it was Mental Testing Day, according to Alex. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I was going to find out soon. Anyway, five of us had been brought into this waiting room, the other five being in another one, with agents posted everywhere. Guards had been doubled since Derek's attempt at killing Vivyanna, but it wasn't as if any of us were going to attack them with the electric bracelets on.

Speaking of Vivyanna, she'd been awfully quiet since our argument in the infirmary. She hadn't said anything to me, and had hardly spoken a word to Alex. I would have asked her what was wrong, but she'd made it pretty clear that she didn't want my concern.

Anyway, Bree was being evaluated in the other room. She'd already been in there for ten minutes already. Vivyanna, Marcus, Alex and I were left waiting outside. Marcus and Vivyanna had gone into the far corner the second Bree had gone into the evaluation room, speaking to each other in hushed whispers.

"I think they're arguing." Alex decided as Marcus crossed his arms and shook his head at Vivyanna. She responded by crossing her own arms and saying something else. Marcus started rubbing his temples as if she was giving him a head ache. "Can't you use your super hearing to hear what they're talking about?" he asked. I had told him everything this morning, and he'd been very excited to hear about my other abilities. I frowned and focused on Vivyanna and Marcus.

"… _a terrible idea, Vivyanna!"_  Marcus exclaimed. Vivyanna glared at him.

" _I know that, Marcus! But what choice do we have? The others have already agreed."_  She argued.

" _We stick to the original plan."_  He replied quickly.  _"The six of us. That's it."_

" _And what? Let Maybank use them as punching bags? I don't feel right about that."_  She snapped back. Then they both stopped and looked at me. I guess they could tell they were being listened to, because they stopped talking immediately. I turned back to Alex.

"Sorry. I didn't get much." I apologized. Alex looked at me.

"What did you get?" he asked.

"I'm not sure what they meant, but I think they were talking about some sort of plan. Six of them were involved. But I'm not sure what else." I replied. "Marcus, Vivyanna and who else?"

"Roxanna, probably." Alex replied. I looked at him. "I'm not sure what they're talking about, but if Vivyanna's planning anything, it involves her sister."

"Right." I agreed. "But I'm not sure who else it could be."

Alex shrugged as the evaluation door opened. Marcus' number was called and he went into the room after giving Vivyanna a stern look. Bree walked out and came over to us, looking pale and shaky.

"Are you alright?" I questioned. She shook her head.

"Oh God Chase…" She trailed off, unable to say more. I put my arm around her comfortingly.

"Hey, it's alright." I assured her. She shook her head again.

I looked at Alex for an explanation. He just looked at Bree. "It gets easier." He said quietly. Suddenly, the door opened and Marcus walked out. He didn't look quite as bad as Bree. In fact, he looked…bored, as if he'd done that too many times. "Okay, that was quick."

My number was called next. I walked into the room, after giving Alex and Bree a reassuring smile, and the door closed behind me. The room was dark, almost pitch black, but I could see the faint outlines of the walls.

"Step forward." A robotic voice said. I did as I was told and walked to the center of the room. All of a sudden, the lights turned on and there was somebody in front of me, chained to the wall.

"Leo?" I gasped. He looked at me, his eyes wide.

"Chase? Get me out of here!" He shouted. I started forward, but another voice stopped me.

"Chase, help me!" I spun around to see Bree in the same predicament as Leo.

"Chase! Do something!" That was Adam. He was chained to my right.

"Chase? What are you waiting for?" Mr. Davenport was chained opposite of Adam. Suddenly, there was a sound from above me. Four guns were attached to this weird contraption, each of the barrels pointing towards one of my family members.

"Choose one to live. The rest shall die." The robotic voice told me. I frowned.

"What?" I demanded. Then I realized what the contraption was. Wires ran from it to the chains around everyone's wrists. If I released one, the other guns would go off. "I can't choose between my family!" I shouted.

"Choose one to live. The rest shall die." The robotic voice repeated. I shook my head.

"No!" I argued.

"Chase, why aren't you helping us?" Leo questioned. "I thought you cared!"

"I do! I'm just trying to think." I told him.

"Chase! Do something!" Mr. Davenport shouted at me.

"Give me a second!" I exclaimed.

"Chase, are you really just going to us die?" Bree cried. I shook my head.

"No! I'm going to save you. I promise."

"Chase! Get me out of here now!" Adam yelled. I shook my head, trying to clear it. What could I do? I had no idea how this machine worked. I didn't even know how Leo or Mr. Davenport got here.

"Choose one to live. The rest shall die. This is your last warning." The robotic voice said again.

"I'm not going to choose!" I yelled. Everything went silent.

"You've made your decision." The robotic voice. I frowned, not comprehending until I heard the four guns go off.

"NO!" I screamed, but it was too late. All of them slumped, blood running out of the various holes in their bodies. I stared at them in shock and horror as their lightless eyes stared back, almost accusingly. "No. No, no, no."

I fell to my knees. No. This wasn't happening. No. This just couldn't be real, it just couldn't…

Then it hit me. This wasn't real! I'd just seen Bree, right? She'd been okay, and they wouldn't have had time to bring her in. So this was a trick, probably one of those horrible holograms. Yeah, that was it. That had to be it.

I hardly noticed as I was hauled to my feet by another agent. I was pushed out the door, just as Alex was brought in. He gave me a weak smile, then the door shut behind me.

"Bree!" I exclaimed. She was standing by herself, thankfully alive. I ran over and hugged her tightly.

"You saw them too, didn't you?" She guessed. "Adam, and Leo, and Mr. Davenport?"

I nodded. "You too. They…they killed you. All of you."

Bree nodded. "I know."

We waited for Alex to be done, not saying anything. I couldn't stop thinking about what I had seen. God, what had happened to Leo and Mr. Davenport? Were they okay, back home? Had they been arrested? They couldn't be dead. I refused to let myself think that.

The door opened and Alex sped right into Vivyanna's arms. She hugged him tightly for a moment, whispered something in his ear, and then headed into the room. Alex said something to Marcus, then ran over to us.

"Are you okay, kid?" I asked. He nodded, although he looked a little shaky.

"I'm just glad they only do this once a month." He murmured, unusually quiet. Vivyanna came out a few minutes later. At first glance, you couldn't tell that anything was wrong. But then I noticed how tense her shoulders were, how her fists were tight and at her side, and how hard she bit down on her lip. She looked at Alex and gave him a smirk, but I could tell it was fake. She was just trying to make him feel better.

"Back to your cells!" Agent Colledge ordered. I gave Bree a quick hug before we were led back to the cells. However, one of the agents stopped Vivyanna before she could walk in.

"Nurse Jones would like to see you." He informed her before leading her off. I looked at Alex.

"Okay, that's just plain weird." He said before I could ask. "Sarah almost never calls anyone back, unless it's a really serious injury. And Vivyanna says that she's fine. The bruising on her neck is already gone."

"I know. Sarah already said that she was fine." I frowned. When Vivyanna came back, about twenty minutes later, she didn't say much.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked as our meals were delivered. It was McDonald's this time. Vivyanna nodded.

"I'm fine." She promised. But I knew something was up when she gave me and Alex her food. One thing I'd already learned was that you never give up any food. Ever. There was so little of it to begin with, and the agents had taken away eating privileges before as punishments.

"Are you sure?" I asked. She looked at me, and I expected to see the same coldness I had on Friday. Instead, I saw hints of worry in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure." She snapped, but it didn't have the same anger in it either. She sat down on her bed. "I'm hitting the hay. Wake me when it's morning."

Clearly, she didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her. Alex and I gave up trying to talk to her after ten minutes. Well, I did anyway. Alex tried for a whole hour until Vivyanna turned around and told him that if he didn't be quiet right then, she would never give him any of her food ever again. Then he was quiet.

In the end, we didn't get anything out of her. I laid back on my bed, deciding to get some sleep.

**Xxx**

I woke up to feel a hand clamped tightly over my mouth. My eyes shot open, searching for whoever had woken me up. It was Vivyanna. She gave me a pleading look, raised a finger to her lips, then removed her hand.

"What the hell?" I hissed, sitting up. "Seriously, what's wrong with you?"

Vivyanna hesitated, looking around. She was tense, I realized, and nervous about something. "You were right." She whispered. "About what you said on Friday. This is no way to live."

"You're waking me up to tell me that?" I questioned, slightly annoyed and a little surprised. I figured that she would be too prideful to admit that she was wrong. She rolled her eyes.

"No, that's not the only reason. We're getting out of here. I've got a plan."


	6. The Escape

**Chase's POV**

"We're getting out of here. I've got a plan." Vivyanna told me. She then got up and walked over to Alex's bed. She shook him awake, much to his confusion.

"What plan?" I repeated. Vivyanna briefly explained to Alex that they were leaving. She turned to me and pulled out a small remote with a blinking device. She tossed it to me and started digging around in her mattress for something.

"You know how the cells block our powers?" She asked. I nodded. "That will let us use them again."

She pulled out an ear piece. "Wait, I'm not leaving without my brother and sister." I told her. She nodded.

"I figured. They're going to meet us outside." She promised me. She started speaking into the ear piece. "Roxy, boys, are you ready to go?"

They must said they were, because Vivyanna put the remote back into her pocket. "Right. So, I can melt the door-"

"Why don't I use my magnetism app to open the lock? If we're getting out of here, we should probably try to be stealthy." I suggested. Vivyanna looked briefly annoyed that I interrupted her, but she nodded.

"Right. Do it." She ordered. I focused on the door, pleased that I could finally do something. It opened with a click. Vivyanna grinned, then stuck her head out the door.

"Let's go." She whispered. She led us out into the hallway, which was empty, much to my surprise.

"Where is everyone?" I questioned. Vivyanna pulled a thin, pencil like device out and pressed a button on the bottom. A holographic map popped out. It showed eight red dots, all in the eastern side of the facility.

"Whoa, what is that and where did you get it?" Alex asked in awe. Vivyanna grinned.

"It's a GPS system. Sarah gave it to me. She's been helping us out." She replied, closing the map and putting it back in her pocket. "Alright, all the guards are at cell B14. Sarah pulled the fire alarm down in that sector, but they're going to figure out they've been tricked sooner or later. Let's go."

Vivyanna ran ahead, with me and Alex following right behind her. "How are we going to get out?" I demanded. "Even if you distracted some of the guards, we can't exactly go through the front door."

"Obviously. That's why we're going in here." Vivyanna pulled us into a storage closet. I stared at her and she closed the door.

"Okay. She's lost it." I said to Alex. Vivyanna ignored me.

"Help me with this." She ordered, trying to move a large pile of filing cabinets. We looked at her. "Now!"

Sighing, we did as she asked. Underneath the filing cabinets was a large sewer grate. "We're going through the sewers?" I asked. Vivyanna smirked.

"Actually, it's one of those high tech garbage tunnels. Although, it sure does smell like a sewer. Anyway, it's usually full trash and other…delightful items, but it's empty tonight because of maintenance." She replied. "We've got an hour until trash starts pouring in again."

"And you know about this how?" I questioned. Vivyanna didn't look at me.

"This isn't the first time I've tried to escape." She said softly. She was quiet for a moment, then she started pulling the grate out and sliding it away. I looked into the hole. It was pitch black in there, although I could hear the sound of trickling water. Vivyanna looked up at me. "What are you waiting for?" she asked.

I looked at the tunnel, then smiled charmingly at her. "Ladies first." I replied.

She rolled her eyes. "What a gentleman." She replied sarcastically. She sat down, her feet dangling over the edge of the hole. She gave Alex a little salute, then pushed herself in. There was a splash, then "Are you two coming, or not?"

Alex grinned and followed her into the darkness. I wasn't far behind. I landed in what appeared to be a foot of water. It was too dark to see, but I could smell the rotting food and mould all around me.

Suddenly, a ball of fire appeared in Vivyanna's right hand. It was small, but it illuminated our faces well enough for us to see, as well as a portion of the tunnel.

"Where now?" I asked, glancing around. The tunnel only went two ways; North and South.

"North." Vivyanna answered quickly. "There's an exit door on either side, but the south one just brings us to the front of the Facility, where there'll be plenty of guards. We're less likely run into any trouble if we go North. Besides, the others are supposed to meet up with us along the way."

"The others?" I questioned as we started to walk. Vivyanna nodded.

"Yeah. You didn't think I was just taking Alex, you and your siblings, did you?" She asked. I shrugged. I hadn't thought much about anything but getting out of that place. "We're taking everyone but Derek with us. I'm pretty sure that psychopath likes it here."

"Even Marcus?" I asked, feeling uneasy about that. Vivyanna glanced at me.

"What's the deal between you guys anyway? What happened?" She asked. I was about to answer when we heard some splashing behind us. And since Alex was in front, we knew it couldn't be him. I raised my hands to send a plasma ball at the followers, but Vivyanna stopped me. She gestured at the water. Right! If that ball missed and hit the water, it would electrocute all of us.

Vivyanna tensed, her fists unclenching. She spun around and sent a jet stream of fire at our followers, only for it to be stopped by an icy blast.

"Nice try, little sister." Roxanna smirked, stepping forward so we could see her. Adam and Mira were right behind her. My brother grinned when he saw me.

"Chase!" He exclaimed happily. "Have you seen Bree?"

I shook my head. "No. They're going to be here, right?" I asked, looking at the twins.

"If everything goes according to plan, they'll meet us up ahead." Roxanna said as she and her sister started leading us up the tunnel again.

"And if things don't go according to plan?" I questioned. Vivyanna looked at me over her shoulder.

"Then we're all totally screwed." She replied. Suddenly, something caught my eye.

"Hey!" I pointed at a small gleam of light. We ran over to it. It ended up being a door, light streaming in from the cracks. Vivyanna extinguished her fire as Alex ran and pushed the door open.

Everyone but Vivyanna and Roxanna stared in amazement. The white, white ground seemed even brighter than it was due to the dark sky. We were immediately hit by a blast of cold air, snow soaking into our shoes.

At first, the girls had kept running. But then they seemed to notice they were alone. Vivyanna ran over to us, grabbed me and Alex by the hand, and started pulling us along. "We have to go meet the others." She reminded us.

"Where are we?" I demanded. Vivyanna shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure we're in Alaska…oh, fuck." She swore, staring behind us. We turned to see three black vans racing towards us.

"What do we do?" Alex questioned, gripping Vivyanna's arm. She pulled her arms away, and sent a blast of red, hot fire towards the vans. They skidded to a stop and men piled out of it, all of them armed. Adam shot a few lasers at them, causing many of them to jump out of the way.

"Mira, do your thing!" Vivyanna ordered. "Everyone else…"

She didn't need to say it. No sooner had I covered my ears did Mira start screaming her banshee like scream. Most of the agents dropped to the ground upon hearing it, dropping their weapons and covering their ears.

Suddenly, Mira stopped screaming. Confused, I dropped my hands and looked at her. I watched as she slowly fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

"Guys, do something!" Alex exclaimed he ran over to Mira. Vivyanna surrounded us with a wall of fire at the same time as I created my force field around us. The agents' bullets bounced off harmlessly. Wait, no. Those weren't bullets. They were darts.

"Knock out drug." Roxanna decided, kneeling next to Mira. "She'll be fine."

"What do we do?" Alex asked again. The cold wind was killing Vivyanna's fire as fast as she could make it, and I couldn't keep my force field up forever. But those agents just kept coming.

Another black van sped towards us, skidding to a stop not a foot away from Vivyanna's fire. But when the door opened, we weren't greeted by agents. We were greeted by Marcus.

"Get in!" He shouted. No one needed to be told twice. Adam picked Mira up, and we all leapt into the van.

"Are you okay?" Bree demanded, swivelling around in the passenger seat so she could look at us. Rhyder was beside her in the driver's seat.

"They're fine. Now drive!" Vivyanna snapped. Rhyder didn't need to be told twice. He slammed his foot down on the gas, speeding out of there as fast as he could. We watched through the back windows as the other three vans drove after us.

"Guys, we've got company." Adam told us the obvious. Roxanna tapped me on the shoulder.

"Move." She told me. I slid over and she got closer to the window. She placed her hand against it, her eyes shut in concentration. A massive, twenty foot tall wall of ice slowly emerged from the ground, creating a barrier between us and the agents.

"Way to go sis!" Vivyanna exclaimed. We watched as the wall, along with agents got farther and farther away. The entire time, we were all tense and ready for a fight. We all expected agents to drop out of the sky to drag us back to that horrid place. They never did.

An hour later, we started to relax. "We…we escaped." Alex said quietly, before staring to laugh. Soon, we were all laughing out of pure relief.

"We did it." Vivyanna agreed, leaning her head against the inside of the van. "But that was way too close."

"It wouldn't be that close if we stuck to the original plan." Marcus muttered. He didn't mean for us to hear him, but we all did. Alex looked at Vivyanna and Roxanna.

"What original plan?" he asked innocently. Vivyanna sent Marcus a dirty look, but it was Roxanna that answered us.

"Don't be offended, but we never planned on taking everyone." She replied. "It was just supposed to be me, Marcus, Rhyder, Vivyanna, Mira and Alex."

"Really? I didn't even know there was a plan at all before tonight." Alex looked confused. Vivyanna gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Quicky. I was worried that you might accidently let the secret slip in front of someone who wasn't supposed to know. But I promise you, I wasn't going to leave you behind. Or Mira, for that matter." She told him. We all looked down at the still unconscious Mira, who was leaning again Adam's side.

"We've been planning this for a month now." Roxanna continued. "But then you showed up."

Bree looked at her. "Who's idea was it to take us with you?" she asked.

"It was Vivyanna's." Rhyder said, speaking for the first time since we'd started driving. We all looked at Vivyanna, surprised. I didn't think she even wanted us here. I had thought she considered us a liability.

"Don't look at me like that. You're all kind of annoying, but I wasn't going to let the agents have at you." She told us. "Don't get all mushy with the gratitude and stuff."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. We won't." She replied coldly. Alex took the opportunity to change the subject.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked. Roxanna sighed.

"We find a town and hide out there while we think of somewhere else to go. But the second we find civilization, we have to ditch the van."

"It's too recognizable." I agreed. "But it's going to be hard to find a vehicle that fits all of us. This is already pretty cramped."

"So, either we steal a really big van or we steal two cars." Marcus decided. "I hope someone knows how to hotwire."

"I do." Vivyanna offered.

"That's good and all," Rhyder said, "but we're still about five or six hours from the nearest town. You should all get some sleep if you can."

"What about you? One of us can drive if you want." Roxanna offered.

"I'm fine. If I get tired, I'll wake someone up." He promised. Roxanna nodded and leaned her head against Marcus' shoulder.

"If someone comes to get us, wake us up." She ordered, closing her eyes.

One by one, everyone dropped off to sleep.


	7. Phone Calls and Plans

**Chase's POV**

"God, that's bright." I complained as my eyes opened to see the bright light of the sun shining in through the window. Bree and I had switched seats around three in the morning and I was stuck in the passenger seat.

"Good morning to you too." Vivyanna smirked from beside me. I frowned. Roxanna had been driving when I fell asleep.

"How long have you been up?" I asked.

"Only an hour and a half." She replied with a shrug.

"Want me to take over?" I offered. She shook her head.

"No, I'm good. We're going to be in Stockwood in about fifteen minutes, give or take." She replied. I nodded.

"So, how many towns are really in Alaska anyway?" I asked. "I mean seriously, who'd want to live here? It's too cold!"

As I said this, I shivered in my jacket. We were all freezing – the jackets weren't that protective against the cold. The only one of us who wasn't holding onto their jacket for dear life was Vivyanna. In fact, she wasn't even wearing hers.

"There's a few towns, but I've only ever been to Stockwood." She told me. "I'm guessing you haven't been here before?"

"Actually, I came here once." I admitted. "I was trying to get samples from a Citanium site for my dad."

Vivyanna glanced at me. "Citanium? Why would your dad need that?" She asked, turning back to the empty road.

"He's an inventor." I told her. "He was making a freeze ray."

"And did it work?" Vivyanna asked. I nodded. "Okay, I'll admit it. That sounds totally awesome."

"Yeah." I felt the tug on my heartstrings when I thought of Mr. Davenport and Leo.

"So anyway, Stockwood's one of the biggest towns in Alaska, but that's just comparatively. They're all pretty small." She acted as if she hadn't noticed my change in mood, but I knew she did.

"How big is it? How many people live there?" I asked curiously, trying to distract myself with random facts.

"Um, let's see. There's a couple of restaurants, a clothing store, and a bank." She replied. "There's a library and a school as well, along with a few other small places. I think a few hundred people live there."

I nodded. "So what's the plan?" I asked.

"Not sure. We'll discuss it with the others when they wake up. But we'll need money and a destination. Oh, and food. Definitely food. I'm starved."

"Well then you shouldn't have given away your dinner yesterday." I chided. Vivyanna ignored me.

"Yeah, I know. I wasn't that hungry though. Nerves, I guess. Anyway, we're going to need a destination." She continued.

"Preferably somewhere warmer." I agreed. Vivyanna smirked.

"We're not far from the border, so we'll probably head to Canada first." She said. "And then, who knows?"

"Where would you want to go?" I asked. She shrugged. "No, I want an answer. If you could go anywhere, where would it be?"

"The pyramids." She decided. "I've always wanted to go. Maybe Greece after that. I've always wanted to visit the Pantheon."

I nodded. "The pyramids sound cool, but I'd want to go home honestly. Get my family first." Vivyanna just nodded. "What about you? Where are your parents?"

"It doesn't matter. Roxy and I aren't going home after this." Vivyanna snapped. I frowned. Things had been going so well. What had changed her attitude?

"Alright then." I replied softly. We sat in silence for the next few minutes, then finally, someone else woke up.

"Huh?" Mira sat up suddenly, without a warning.

"Mira, what's wrong?" Alex asked, rubbing his eyes. She'd woken him up when she had sat up. Mira looked around in confusion.

"Where are we?" She asked quietly. Alex quickly explained what had happened as everyone else slowly got up.

Not long after, a small town came into view. Vivyanna was right – it was pretty small. But it had just enough people so that we might not be noticed as strangers right away.

"So, what's the plan?" Rhyder asked, leaning against the back of my chair.

"Money. That's the first thing we'll need after we ditch the truck. And a ride." Marcus decided.

"We could rob the gas station." Roxanna suggested. "Steal all the money and food we can get our hands on, then take the cars that have just been gassed."

Adam, Bree and I looked at her. "Or, we could just go to the bank." Bree told her. Everyone chuckled but us.

"Really? Do you have bank account big enough to support nine people for what could be an extended period of time? That's a lot of money, Bree." Vivyanna commented. Bree glared at her.

"We could borrow some from our dad." Adam suggested. "He's rich."

"That's a good idea." I told them. "He'd send us the money without hesitating. We just need to give him a call."

"You expect us to stop at a payphone so you can call your daddy?" Vivyanna asked, her voice mocking us. I nodded.

"Let's do it. But we're still going to have to take a couple of cars." Roxanna told us. "So, who wants to do what?"

"We'll call Mr. Davenport." Bree said, her hands on both my and Adam's shoulders.

"Okay, but we should split up evenly. Teams of four and five." Marcus suggested. Roxanna nodded.

"Yeah. Those agents are still out there looking for us. You shouldn't go alone." She told us. I nodded.

"Right. Vivy, are you coming with us?" I asked. Both Vivyanna and Bree shot me an outraged look.

"We're not taking her!" "Don't call me Vivy!" They both exclaimed. Vivyanna looked at Bree, slightly offended.

"Don't worry, I don't even want to come with you." She said. "Roxy, you go with them. I'll steal the cars."

Roxanna shrugged. She didn't seem too surprised by her sister's hostility. "Sure. Let's go. Park over there."

Vivyanna did as she asked, parking the van behind a restaurant. Nearby was a payphone. Roxanna looked at me.

"You guys go call your dad. Vivyanna, you're not to even head to the gas station until we leave for the bank. We don't want the town's police looking for a car thief when we're not ready to leave."

"I know!" Vivyanna snapped. "I'm not an idiot."

"No, you're just stubborn." Roxanna shot back.

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty." Rhyder joked, trying to stop the argument before it began. "Anyway, what's the plan after that?"

"Mr. Davenport's got hundreds of warehouses that we can hide out in. And he can help hide us from the agents." Bree suggested. Vivyanna shook her head.

"No." she objected. We all looked at her. "Look, it's one thing to ask for money, but hiding us from the law is a whole other matter."

"He hid us from the law for fifteen years." I told her. She didn't look reassured at all.

"And look how good he was at that." She snapped. "And you're his kids. We're not. He might chicken out. He might hand us right over. I don't want to have to rely on anyone else that I don't know."

"We'll vote on it." Rhyder suggested before Bree could argue with Vivyanna. "All in favour of asking these dudes' dad for help, raise their hand."

The only ones who didn't raise their hands were Marcus and Vivyanna. Vivyanna groaned in annoyance, crossing her arms. Roxanna looked at us. "Go." She told us, gesturing at the payphone. We nodded and got out of the van.

"You do it." Bree told me as we reached the phone. I quickly dialled the familiar number.

" _Hello?"_  I grinned at the voice. Memories of yesterday's holograms were still fresh in my mind and this was just the reassurance I needed.

"Leo!" I exclaimed.

" _Chase?"_ Leo gasped.  _"You're alright? We thought…well, we weren't sure. We've been trying to find you guys for the past two weeks, but those government goons covered their tracks pretty well. Are Adam and Bree with you?"_

"Yeah, they're fine. They say hi." I told them. I heard Leo breathe a sigh of relief. "Listen Leo, as good as it is to hear your voice, we need to talk to Mr. Davenport. Now."

" _Right. Here he is."_  Leo told us.  _"I'm glad you guys are okay."_

" _Chase?"_  That was Mr. Davenport. I smiled.

"I'm here. So are Adam and Bree." I assured him.

" _Thank God. Where are you?"_  He demanded.

"Alaska, near the Canadian border." I told him. "We're in trouble."

" _Yeah, I would think."_  Mr. Davenport replied.  _"I thought those agents brought you to some secret facility."_

"They did. We managed to escape, with some help." I said.

" _Help? What help?"_  Mr. Davenport asked.

"Some of the other prisoners." I told him. "We're going to need somewhere to lie low for a while though. And we're going to need cash."

" _Right. Of course."_  Mr. Davenport agreed.  _"I'll send three grand to your account, but don't take all of it out at a time. It'll be too suspicious."_

"Good idea." I agreed.

" _If you and your friends can get home, Leo and I have been working on a new lab. Really big, really remote. You should be safe there. But you'll need to get back here."_

"We're on our way." I told him. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Mr. Davenport should be warned. "Mr. Davenport, wait."

" _What's wrong?"_  He asked.

"One of the prisoners that escaped with us…it's Marcus." I told him. There was a moment of silence.

" _I thought Marcus died."_  Mr. Davenport finally said. I nodded, although he couldn't see it.

"So did we. But he's here and he's alive. He's…different though. He hasn't tried to kill us yet. And he's part of the reason we managed to escape." I replied.

" _Chase, you need to ditch him as soon as you can."_ Mr. Davenport told me. I sighed.

" _We can't do that, Mr. Davenport. The girls…we need their help and they won't leave him."_  I told him.

"Do they know what he's done?" He asked.

"I don't think so. Should we tell them?" I wondered. If Marcus really was different, then that would ruin his chance at a real friendship. And the sisters…they'd hate us for telling them the truth. And even though Vivyanna sort of hated us already, I didn't want to know what it was to feel her full anger.

" _Yes."_  Mr. Davenport told me.  _"They deserve to know."_

"You're right." I saw Roxanna's head poking out of the van's window, looking at me impatiently. "We've got to go."

" _Right. We'll try to contact you guys soon. Chase…be careful. All three of you."_

"We will." I promised before hanging up the phone. Bree looked at me.

"Well?" she asked, as if she hadn't been eavesdropping on the conversation.

"We're going home." I told her. She and Adam grinned.

"Sweet!" He exclaimed. We jogged back to the van, where Vivyanna and Roxanna were arguing.

"It's a stupid idea. It's far too risky!" Vivyanna was saying. I cleared my throat, getting their attention.

"Oh, you're back." Roxanna said. "How'd it go?"

"Mr. Davenport's sending money to my account, but we're only to take a little out at a time. And he said he's got somewhere for us to stay, but we have to get home first." I informed them. Roxanna nodded.

"Right. Vivyanna, you can steal your cars now. Make sure there's room for nine people between the two of them. Everyone but Adam, Bree, and Chase can go with her." She ordered. They started to leave but Roxanna caught Marcus by the sleeve.

"Keep your head down and your jacket on. People might notice the android parts, no offense." She told him. Marcus nodded. "And if you can, keep my sister out of trouble. You know how she gets when she's upset."

Marcus smirked. "Sure, I'll try. Keep your earpiece in."

"I know!" She called after him as he ran after the others. She nodded at the street. "The bank's only a short walk. Come on."

We walked in pairs, Adam and Bree a few steps behind us. I looked at Roxanna.

"Vivyanna's not happy about the plan." I observed. Roxanna nodded.

"She's worried that we'll get caught again if we're not careful." She told me. "We never found out how they recaptured us last time. She thinks they'll do it again."

"Right." I said, thinking about the possibility. Roxanna elbowed me gently, a smile on her face.

"She's just scared." She informed me. I smirked.

"She is many things, but I don't think scared is one of them." I commented. Roxanna smirked as well.

"Then what is she?" she asked.

"Stubborn, kind of scary, a little…" I trailed off, unable to think of the right word.

"A little rough around the edges?" Roxanna guessed. "Angry, keeps everything to herself? Almost impossible to talk to without hitting a bad subject?"

"Bingo." I replied. I sighed. "She's just so frustrating!"

"Believe me, I know. She's my sister." Roxanna smiled. "But she's actually kind of nice, once you get to know her."

"And how am I supposed to do that? Whenever I say something, I've always said the wrong thing and she gets upset." I complained.

"Give her time." Roxanna suggested. "Trust me, after a while, she'll open up and let you in. She let Marcus and Alex in, after all."

"Yeah, but she likes Marcus." I said without thinking. To my surprised, Roxanna laughed.

"Trust me, they don't like each other. Not in the way you think. She just thinks that robots are cool."

"Seriously?" I asked. Roxanna nodded, trying to cover her laugh with her hand. My smile fell off my face a second later.

"Look, Roxanna. There's something I have to tell you." I told her. She nodded, catching onto my serious mood. "It's about Marcus."

"Don't tell me." She whispered. I frowned.

"But, you need to know this." I said, but she shook her head anyway.

"Is it bad?" She asked. I nodded. "Then don't tell me then."

"But-" I started to object.

"Marcus won't tell me anything about his past except for the fact that he's done some pretty bad things. He won't tell me what though, and if he's really that ashamed of his past, I don't want to know what he did." She said. "Look Chase, I like Marcus. He's a good guy, and what's in the past has passed, so can we just leave it at that?"

She looked at me, blue eyes hopeful. I sighed in defeat. "Fine, I won't say anything."

"Thank you Chase!" Roxanna hugged me. Adam and Bree gave us both strange looks. They hadn't overheard the conversation. I shrugged as if I had no idea what that was about and followed Roxanna into the bank.

We ended up taking out about a thousand dollars. It was a little much, but there were a lot of us and we had no idea when we would be able to take more out. The second we were out, Roxanna pulled out her own ear piece, identical to Vivyanna's.

"Hey, where are you guys?" She asked. Adam looked at her.

"How many of those do you guys have?" he asked.

"Four. Me, my sister, Marcus and Rhyder each have one." She replied before listening to something on the ear piece. She turned towards the street just as two cars pulled up. One was a black Volvo, while the other was a red Ford Compass.

"Two of you in here, two of you in there." Vivyanna said, sticking her hair out of the Volvo. "And two comm sets a vehicle."

"I'll go in the other car. Who's coming with me?" Roxanna asked. Bree pushed Adam towards her.

"He is." She said. "We'll go with Vivyanna."

"Take this then." Roxanna handed Bree the ear piece. "Keep them on at all times."

"Got it." Bree replied as Adam and Roxanna headed back to the Ford. She then climbed into the backseat, next to Alex. I leaned against the open driver side window.

"So, Mr. GPS," Vivyanna looked at me. "Which way?"

I closed my eyes, using my bionics to find a safe and fast route out of the state. "Move over; let me drive."

Vivyanna wasn't pleased by the idea of letting me drive, but slid over into the passenger seat with little grumbling. I glanced back at the other car through the rear-view mirror as I climbed in.

"They'll follow." Vivyanna told me. "Marcus is driving."

"And that's supposed to reassure us? Do you have any idea what he's like?" Bree questioned. I sent her a silencing glare.

"Right now Bree, let's focus on the present. And presently, we're trying to make sure we ALL survive, so let's go."

With that, I hit the gas.

**Maybank's POV**

"You complete imbecile!" One of my two bosses, widely known as The Scientist, shouted. I took a step back before I reminded myself that it was only a hologram communication and that he wasn't here in person. "I told you to train them, not to let them escape!"

"My apologies, sir." I replied quickly. "We do not know how they managed to get their hands on to those pesky deactivators, but they will all be caught and put back in their cells. Our best men are on it."

"And the prisoner's leader?" The Scientist asked. I sighed and went through the files.

"One of the sisters, sir. We can't be sure, but I personally believe it is the younger one. We've always had a problem with her…disobedience." I told him. He nodded, then looked to something in the background. He turned back to me a moment later.

"Send me their files. They may qualify for our project." He ordered. I frowned at him.

"But sir, the last time we tried that-" I started, but he cut me off.

"I am fully away of the previous results. But only nine of the ten died. And subject 6723 was almost a success. The only issue with him is his inability to lead." The Scientist reminded me. "They, however, seem to have a natural talent for it."

I took a deep breath. "Sir, I doubt their father would want either of them to be part of the project until it was fully tested with successful results."

The Scientist smirked. "He's the one who requested it."

I nodded. "Yes sir." I replied as the hologram disappeared. I took a deep breath, knowing what I would have to do, and left my office. I followed the large maze of hallways until I found myself in the most remote part of the Facility. There was only one room down this hallway. It was the cell belonging to our most dangerous criminal.

I unlocked the door quickly and stepped inside, ignoring the odour. The walls were white, unlike most of the cells. One wall was covered in dark tally marks. They didn't mark how long the prisoner had been here – there weren't nearly enough marks. There was a mark for each fight he'd won.

The wall to my left also had some interesting designs on it. About seven faces, all crudely drawn, were on them. Most of them were crossed off, signifying that whoever they'd been was now dead. Only two remained. One was a boy with spiky hair. The other was a girl with long hair.

Standing across from the faces was the prisoner in question. Derek. He reached for one of the knives lying on his bed, adjusted it in his hand, and threw it at the faces with all his might. It buried itself into the wall, stabbing the spiky haired boy's nose.

"So, are you here to praise me on my knife throwing?" Derek asked, not looking at me as he picked up another knife. This one lodged itself in the girl's mouth.

"You don't like them, I take it?" I asked, gesturing at the abused pictures. Derek narrowed his eyes and picked up two more knives.

"You could say that. He," his knife stabbed the boy in the forehead, "hit me and she," he threw the second knife at the girl's throat, "tried to burn me. Nobody gets to do that without consequences."

I nodded. He picked up another knife, but instead of throwing it, he twirling it around in his hands. He looked at me. "Is there a reason you're here?"

I smirked. "Can't a father visit his son?" I asked innocently. Derek sneered.

"Maybe, but you've never exactly been the world's best dad." He snapped. I nodded, then smirked.

"They left you here, you know. When they escaped, they didn't even try to get you." I told him. He didn't seem surprised. I raised my chin. "Would you like revenge?"

Derek grinned and threw the knife. It buried itself between the boy's eyes. "Do you even have to ask?"


	8. On the Road

**Bree's POV**

"Are we there yet?" Alex complained for what must have been the millionth time. Chase groaned.

"No Alex, we're not." He told the kid. Alex ignored him and leaned forward. He tapped Vivyanna's shoulder.

"One sec." She said into the ear piece before turning to Alex. "No Quicky, we're not there yet. Now, may I please finish my conversation with my sister?"

"Fine." He grumbled. Vivyanna rolled her eyes and looked back out the window.

"Where was I? Oh, right. So I was thinking that…" She said to her sister through the comm set, but I ignored her after a few seconds.

"Chase, I'm not trying to sound like Alex, but how long of a drive is this going to be?" I asked. "I mean, we've been driving for at least five hours without stopping."

" _Yeah, and some of us need to go to the washroom!"_  Rhyder's voice came from the ear piece in my ear, I started, having forgotten it was there.

"Yes Rhyder, we know." Vivyanna said impatiently. She glanced at Chase. "Well?"

"It depends if we stop for dinner and for the night or not. We could keep driving and switch drivers when we're tired. If so, we could be there in about thirty hours or so. Maybe thirty-five."

"Thirty hours?" Alex exclaimed, obviously distressed. "But-but-but that's like forever!"

I rolled my eyes, but Vivyanna laughed. "I don't think Rhyder could hold off using a restroom for that long. What if we stop for the night? Maybe at a motel or something. If we have to, I wouldn't mind borrowing an abandoned building."

"I would mind it." I commented. Vivyanna turned in her seat to look at me. "What? I'm not sleeping anywhere where a rat could have done his business!"

"Then you can sleep in the car." She said coldly.

"Would you two stop arguing? Seriously, this is the fifth time you've gone at each other since we left." Rhyder told us. "If you two don't stop arguing this second, I will turn this car around."

He let the threat hang long enough for all of us to burst out laughing.

"Good luck with that, Rhyder." I heard Roxanna laugh. "Adam's the one driving, remember?"

"Okay guys, but seriously. What's the plan? Because if we're going to stop anywhere, we might want to do it soon. You know, before Rhyder explodes." Vivyanna commented.

" _Hey, someone ask Brainy-Boy if there are any restaurants or rest stations nearby!"_  Rhyder pleaded. I smirked and repeated his question. Chase focused for a moment, checking his GPS.

"How do you guys feel about Pizza Hut?" He asked after a minute.

**xxx**

"Food!"Alex exclaimed, practically dragging Vivyanna over to the counter. Mira was on their heels, green eyes widening when she saw the selections. Meanwhile, Rhyder was making a B-line to the restrooms.

"Children." I muttered, shaking my head. Roxanna laughed.

"Hey, it's probably the first time they've ever been taken out for fast food." She told me, watching the two youngest kids jump up and down. "And they deserve the treat."

"You're right." I admitted. I smiled at Roxanna. I liked her a lot more than I liked her sister. She was a little more open and Vivyanna was way too dark.

Adam waved at me as he ran to get us a couple of booths by the window. Vivyanna sat down across from him, with Alex on her left and Mira crawling up next to Adam. Roxanna smiled.

"I think she's got a bit of a crush on him." She murmured as Mira started talking to Adam. "She doesn't talk much, but she seems to like chatting with Adam."

"How old is she?" I asked. "Six?"

"Seven. She's a little small for her age." Roxanna replied. I nodded, frowning as I realize that Chase and Marcus were standing at the ordering counter, talking about something.

"I wonder what they're talking about." I murmured. Roxanna shrugged.

"Pizza favourites?" she guessed, leading me over to the table. I sat down next to my brother, with Roxanna on my other side.

"What's up?" Vivyanna asked, frowning at her sister. "You've got that serious look on your face."

"Let's wait for the others." Roxanna replied, glancing at Chase, Marcus, and Rhyder who had recently joined them. They were each balancing three plates of pizza in their arms.

"Pepperoni for us." Chase said, handing me and Adam a piece. Marcus gave Vivyanna and Roxanna their slices, both meat lover's, holding his own in his hand and Rhyder handed two of the three Hawaiian slices in his hands to Mira and Alex. The boys then went back for the drinks.

"Thank you." We all said as they sat down. Roxanna looked at her drink and blew on it. It frosted over slightly. "Show off." Vivyanna accused childishly. Roxanna smirked.

"You're just jealous." She teased. It reminded me of the times that we used to show off our bionics around Leo.

"Okay, I had an idea." Roxanna told us, drawing me back out of my memories. "Those cars are probably already reported stolen. We're going to have to ditch them soon."

"Do you have a better idea than stealing cars?" Marcus asked curiously. Roxanna nodded.

"Well, actually it was Vivyanna's idea, but I'm taking credit." She told us. Vivyanna smirked. "Anyway, from what I remember, there's a train station not far from here, right?"

Chase nodded. "Yeah, maybe an hour away." He said. "You think we should take the train?"

"It would take hours off our journey. Plus, we're less likely to get caught on a train full of civilians than an empty road." Vivyanna pointed out. I nodded. It made sense.

"Would we have enough for train tickets?" I asked, looking at my brother. Chase nodded.

"Yeah, we would. We could even get overnight cars." He replied. "But we'd be completely broke after that, and the nearest train station to Mission Creek is in Hendersonville."

"How far is that from your place?" Alex asked.

"A couple of hours if we walk. And I think we should walk because it might be noticeable if we steal some cars again." I answered. Roxanna and Rhyder both nodded.

"That's a good idea, Bree." Marcus said. I glared silently at him.

"We are going to have a little problem though." Vivyanna said. I narrowed my eyes at her, guessing that this 'little problem' had something to do with my plan.

"What's that?" Rhyder asked.

"The border. We'll need passports to get across into the states, right? I mean, I have no idea how we managed to get across into Canada from Alaska, but I doubt we'll be able to do it twice. And I don't know about you guys, but Roxy and I certainly don't." She said.

As it turned out, my brothers and I were the only ones who'd ever gotten our passports done. But that didn't help us much seeing as they were at home.

"So, what do we do about the passport issue?" Rhyder asked, taking a bite of his pizza. I glanced at the payphone outside the restaurant.

"We could call Mr. Davenport." I suggested. Adam and Chase nodded.

"He'd be able to help us." Adam agreed. Vivyanna sighed.

"Haven't we asked for his help a little too much?" She asked. I glared at her.

"We need his help." I told her. She crossed her arms.

"We could manage without it." She muttered. I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe you could, but we're not too prideful to admit when we need help." I snapped back.

"Enough!" Roxanna hissed at us. "Guys, we're trying not to draw attention to ourselves, and you two arguing is pretty much doing the opposite of that!"

Vivyanna and I looked around. Sure enough, there were a couple of people staring at us. Roxanna glared at us, then looked at my brothers. "Go call your dad." She told them, her voice softening slightly. "See if he can help us out with the border patrol."

She looked at Vivyanna and I as they scurried off. "Okay, obviously, you two don't like each other. We get that. Not everyone's going to get along with everyone. But Vivyanna, what's the problem with seeking help when we can?"

"Well, excuse me if I have trouble trusting someone I've never met before." Vivyanna replied. I snorted in amusement.

"You have trouble trusting anyone. Period. End of story." I told her. She glared at me. Roxanna sighed.

"Okay, both of you stop trying to start a fight. Do I have to separate you two?" She demanded. Okay, now she was starting to sound like Mr. Davenport whenever Adam, Chase and I got into fights. Both Vivyanna and I shrugged.

"Then behave." She sighed. "Vivyanna, why do I always have to be the mature one?"

"Because you're older." Vivyanna replied, sipping from her soda. I frowned.

"How old are you two anyway?" I asked. "What's the age difference?"

"I'm sixteen and she's fifteen." Roxanna replied. "But her age doesn't stop her from hotwiring cars for fun." Vivyanna didn't seem particularly offended by that comment.

We ate the rest of our meal in silence, waiting for my brothers to come back. They sat back down a few minutes later. "He said that he'll figure something out. We're to get on a train and wait for further instructions once we reach the border." Chase told us. Adam grinned at me.

"I got to speak to Leo. He and Tasha are doing fine." He told me. I couldn't help but smile. At least that half of my family was okay.

"Then let's go already." I said impatiently, getting to my feet. The others shrugged and followed me out to where we'd parked the cars. I sped ahead of Vivyanna as reached for the passenger seat door. "I call shotgun." I said with a fake smile on my face.

She rolled her eyes. "It's fine. I was going to try and get some sleep anyway. It's all yours." She told me before muttering a very rude word under her breath. Alex looked at her curiously.

"What does that word mean?" he asked innocently. Vivyanna pretended to have not heard his question and climbed into the backseat. Alex climbed in next to her while Chase sat in the driver's seat again.

"I could drive. Just tell me when to turn." I offered, noticing the tired look in his eyes. Most of us had been up since very early in the morning and had gotten a very bad sleep last night. At least I managed to catch a few Zs while we'd been driving earlier. Chase shook his head.

"It's okay." He told me, starting up the car. He headed onto the main road. The Pizza Hut we'd gone to was in the middle of a large city, so it took us a while before we hit the highway. By that time, however, both Vivyanna and Alex were sleeping, the former with her head against the window and the latter drooling on her shoulder.

"Okay, so what's your problem?" Chase asked, glancing back at the two to make sure they were out of it.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You've been in a bad mood since we stopped in Stockwood. What's bugging you?" He asked again. I shrugged. "Come on Bree! I know it's not nothing."

I sighed. "That escape…didn't it seem easy to you?" I asked after a while. Chase stared at me.

"What are you talking about? We were nearly caught. Mira got drugged. How was that easy?" He asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I just expected it to be harder." I replied. Chase frowned.

"Okay, say it was easy. Why is that bothering you? We still escaped." He told me. I looked at him.

"It seemed too easy. Like we were meant to escape. Like they wanted us to succeed." I said.

"But how could they have even known about our escape plans? I didn't even know until Vivyanna told me." He reminded me. I nodded.

"Yes. Only four people knew about it. And any one of those four people could have told Maybank about it." I pointed out. Chase glanced at me.

"I don't know Bree…I don't think any of them would have ratted us out." He said after a moment. "They're all as desperate for freedom as we are."

I didn't answer. "Okay then," Chase continued. "Who do you think told Maybank?"

"Vivyanna or Marcus. Maybe both." I replied instantaneously. Chase seemed surprised.

"I don't think so." He started to object, but I cut him off.

"Marcus would do anything to spite us and if he thought that us getting caught while trying to escape would get us into trouble, he would be racing to tell Maybank." I told him. Chase considered that.

"And Vivyanna?" he asked.

"She keeps shooting down all our best ideas. Why would she not want help unless she wanted us to get caught?" I asked. Chase rolled his eyes.

"Bree, just because you two don't get along doesn't mean she's trying to get us caught. Besides, the whole escape thing was her idea." He reminded me. I glared at him.

"Exactly! It was her idea! Not to mention she's practically Marcus' new girlfriend-"

"She's not his girlfriend." Chase corrected. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"How would you know?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I asked Roxanna. She didn't seem to happy with me asking though." He replied. I frowned at him.

"Why would you care if they were dating?" I asked suspiciously. He didn't answer. "You don't like her, do you?"

"What? No! But if she can help us escape, then I have no problem with tolerating her for the time being!" Chase snapped. I knew he was lying though.

"Chase…" I started, but he sent me a look.

"Look Bree, I don't like her, alright?" he said. It was clear from his tone that he didn't want to talk about it. "And they're not trying to get us caught. Drop the subject."

"Fine." I muttered, crossing my arms. Suddenly, Alex mumbled.

"Stop fighting. Some of us are trying to sleep." He mumbled before burying his head in Vivyanna's shoulder. I couldn't help but giggle at that.

**xxx**

"So this is Sadler's Corner Train Station?" Adam asked, looking around in awe. I didn't blame him. It wasn't as big and grand as I expect, but it was still pretty cool. Chase nodded, handing out tickets to everyone.

"Yeah. We're to go to platform 6." he informed us, holding onto five tickets. One was for him, and the other four were for Roxanna, Alex, Rhyder and Vivyanna. After noticing the multiple stores on the North side of the station, they had decided to go get some supplies that they thought we'd need.

"Hello boys and girls." Roxanna grinned as she and the others ran up. They were all carrying backpacks that seemed to be bulging.

"What's in there?" Adam asked curiously. Vivyanna shrugged.

"Supplies. Food, flashlights, walkie-talkies, some extra clothes." She said, handing Adam her backpack. "We had to guess at the sizes, but I'm usually right about that kind of thing."

"Nice job." Chase grinned. She ignored him and looked at Marcus.

"So, which one are we on and how soon can we board? I don't like being in such a public place." She looked over her shoulder. I frowned.

"Why not? The agents can't really kidnap someone in public." I reminded her.

"They could be watching us right now though. It's easier to blend in with a crowd." Roxanna told me.

"But that could work both ways." I pointed out. Rhyder grinned at her.

"Exactly." He said, shouldering his backpack. "Now, which train?"

Chase told them which one we were getting on and we headed to the platform. I noticed that Chase kept trying to get Vivyanna into a conversation – something about the trains' mechanics – but she was in one of her moods again. She wouldn't even acknowledge him.

In the end, he ended up talking to Marcus about it. I wondered why Chase was being so nice to him. I mean, the guy kidnapped our dad and tried to kill Leo! And he wasn't even sorry for it!

Eventually the train pulled into the station. We climbed aboard and headed to our cabins. Chase had managed to get two overnight ones, each with four bunks in them.

"Dibs!" Alex exclaimed, rushing at the first bunk he saw. He jumped into it with a happy grin on his face. We all laughed.

"So, who gets what room?" I asked, looking around. There were nine of us, and a total of eight beds. That should be an interesting argument to see who ended up sleeping on the floor.

"Boy get this one, girls get the second one." Roxanna decided. Chase nodded.

"Good idea." he commended. Vivyanna pushed past him into the girls' room, dumping her bag onto one of the bunks. Chase looked at Roxanna who shrugged helplessly.

"Good luck deciding who gets the floor." I told the boys. Rhyder, Adam, Marcus, Alex and Chase all looked at each other.

"I'm not sleeping on the floor!" We all called. Roxanna rolled her eyes and looked at Mira and I.

"Boys. So immature." She commented as we walked into the girls' room.


	9. Psychic Dreams and the Reveal

**Chase's POV**

In the end, it was decided that I would get the floor to sleep on. Why? Because Rhyder and Adam had claimed rights to two bunks because they were the oldest. Alex had actually fallen asleep in his and none of us wanted to make the kid sleep on the floor. Marcus was the only one who was fair about it.

"We arm wrestle for it, and no licking my hand like Leo." He told me, his arm on one of the tables in the dining car. I agreed and lost, much to all the girls' amusement.

By now, it was about seven o'clock at night and we were all feeling a lot more relaxed than we had in days. The dining car was open twenty four hours, so we weren't hungry. Most of us had already taken full advantage of the hot showers here along with the soft, comfy beds.

It almost seemed unfortunate that we'd be getting off sometime around noon tomorrow. It seemed especially good for the ones who'd been prisoners the longest. Alex and Mira, who were both too young to remember much of a life before the Facility, were acting as if it was Christmas.

The only person who seemed to be in a bad mood was Vivyanna. She was refusing to talk to me, wouldn't even stay in the same room as me. I couldn't figure out why, but I decided that I was going to find out.

"Hey, have you guys seen Vivyanna?" I asked, poking my head into the girl's cabin. Rhyder was sleeping in the guys' room, Adam and Alex were playing cards, and Roxanna and Marcus were in the observation car. Only Bree and Mira were in there. They shook their heads.

"I think she's avoiding you." Mira told me, in that quiet little voice of hers. I nodded.

"Trust me, I know." I replied. "Do you two have any idea why?"

They shook their heads again. "I don't see why you care. Let her be in a bad mood if she wants to be." Bree told me. I rolled my eyes.

"I just want to know what's up with her." I replied, walking out of the cabin. After a while, I finally found her, in the almost completely empty dining car. She was in the dining car, sitting at a table by the window with a cup of coffee. I ordered a Pepsi and sat down at her table. She promptly ignored me.

"Vivyanna." I said. Nothing. "Vivyanna!"

"What?" she snapped at me.

"What's the matter with you? Why are you upset?" I demanded. She grabbed a spoon and started to stir her coffee, if only to give her hands something to do.

"Nothing. Besides, why would you care?" she asked me, her tone sour. I frowned.

"I'm your friend. Why shouldn't I care?" I demanded. She smirked, but I could see the anger in her eyes.

"You're my friend?" she questioned. "I thought you just tolerated me because I helped you escape."

I stared at her, confused as to where she got that idea until it hit me. "Bree told you what I said, didn't she?"

Vivyanna shook her head. "Actually, she didn't. I heard you say it." She replied. She noticed my confused expression. "Did you honestly think I could sleep with all that arguing?"

"But why pretend to be asleep then?" I inquired.

"I wanted to hear why your sister had to say about me." She answered. "Apparently what you had to say was more interesting."

"I didn't mean it, Vivy." She glared at me for the use of her nickname. "I just didn't want my sister to think I liked you."

Bad choice of words. "What's wrong with liking me?" Vivyanna demanded, obviously offended. "I mean, I know I can be…difficult, but is it such a bad thing to pretend that you like me?"

Fire burst from her hand suddenly, surprising us both. She quickly extinguished the flames and placed her hand in her lap. "Sorry." She muttered. "It happens sometimes."

"When you're upset?" I guessed. It was sort of like our glitches, the way her powers were so connected to her emotions. She nodded. I sighed.

"Vivyanna," I said cautiously, "I do like you, but Bree thought I  _liked_  you. Get it?"

It took her a moment, but when she did, her face turned cherry red. "You like me?" she questioned. "Wh…why would she ever think that? Why would you  _like_  me?"

"No idea." I replied.

"I mean seriously, what's wrong with her?" Vivyanna questioned. I shrugged.

"No idea." I repeated. There was a moment of silence. "So, are we good now?"

She shrugged, but I took that as a yes. She took a sip of her coffee, then put her cup down. Her face was screwed up in disgust.

"Okay, it's official." She announced, pushing the cup away. "I hate coffee."

"Is this the first time you've ever had it?" I asked. She nodded.

"I thought I'd try it." She replied. "Bad idea."

"Yeah, I've never liked coffee much either." I told her. "Tea's good though."

"My mom used to make me and Roxy bleu jasmine tea when we were younger." Vivyanna told me. I realized that it was the first personal thing Vivyanna ever told me.

Suddenly, Alex burst into the dining car. He sped towards us, skidding to a stop in front of our table. "Guys…psychic…cabin…talking!" he gasped. I looked at Vivyanna.

'Did you understand any of that?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Quicky, slow down!" She ordered. He took a deep breath.

"It's Rhyder." He told her. Two simple words, yet she understood completely. She raced out of the car, Alex and I hot on her heels. The second I entered the overnight cabin, I realized what was wrong.

Rhyder was still in bed, tossing and turning. His brow was covered in sweat, and he kept moaning in his sleep.

"No…don't…please." He moaned, as the two sisters tried to wake him up. It was then that I realized that everyone had gathered in the room. I looked at Marcus, who was leaning against the doorframe with a grim expression.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"He's having a psychic dream. You know, glimpses of the future before it actually happens?" Marcus explained. "They happen sometimes. Unfortunately for him, they're only ever bad things. But it's good to get a warning."

"No, don't!" Rhyder practically shouted just then. Vivyanna looked at Alex.

"Get some water from the dining car." She ordered. He nodded and sped off. She turned back to Rhyder, who was still muttering and moaning. "Shh…Rhyder, you're okay. It's just a dream. You're safe. It's-"

"Vivyanna, don't!" he moaned, loud enough for us all to hear. Vivyanna froze as he continued to talk. "Don't, please don't. She's your sister!"

Vivyanna looked stunned, so Roxanna took charge. She gently pushed her sister out of the way and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry about this Rhyder." She said softly, before slapping him across the face.

His eyes flew open and Roxanna was sent flying across the room by a psychic wave. Marcus caught her and they both stumbled to the floor. Rhyder sat up, wide-eyed and gasping for breath.

"Thanks." Roxanna said to Marcus as she climbed off him, both of them blushing deeply.

"N-no problem." Marcus replied. We all turned back to Rhyder. He was still breathing heavily, watching us all with wide eyes.

"Hey are you alright?" Vivyanna asked. She stepped towards him, but backed away when he flinched.

"Sorry." Rhyder apologized, seeing her expression. "I didn't mean…you know."

"It's fine." Vivyanna told him. "So…I take it you weren't dreaming about pretty girls on the beach?"

It was a weak attempt at joke, but Rhyder chuckled anyway. "I wish."

"What was it about?" Roxanna asked, sitting down on the edge of the bunk. Rhyder didn't answer. Instead he looked at us all with wary eyes.

"Come on!" Alex exclaimed. In all the commotion, I hadn't realized that he'd come back in. He handed a bottle of water to Rhyder, who accepted it gratefully. "We know you were dreaming about Vivyanna!" We all looked at him. "You all know what I meant!"

"She was part of it, yes." Rhyder frowned. "How did you know?"

"You were talking in your sleep again." Marcus supplied. He sent Adam, Bree, and I a sideways glance. "He does it whenever he has a psychic dream. Used to keep me up when we were in the same cell."

"Rhyder?" Vivyanna asked. He didn't look like he wanted to answer. "If it involves me, don't you think I deserve to know?"

"Alright, but…it could have just been a random dream. It doesn't mean that it's going to happen." He warned us. He didn't believe it, that much was obvious, but it was as if he needed to. He didn't want whatever he'd dreamed about to happen.

"Understood." Vivyanna told him. He nodded.

"There were a couple fights." He began slowly. "Well, two fights that I saw."

"Go on." Roxanna urged.

"The first one that I saw was between Vivyanna…and Roxy." He admitted. Both girls looked at each other. "It was pretty bad."

"Could we have been practicing?" Roxanna asked. "Or just play fighting. We do that to practice with our abilities."

Rhyder shook his head. "No…it looked…well, it looked as if Vivyanna was trying to kill you."

I couldn't help it. I looked at Vivyanna, as did most of the people in the room. She stared at Rhyder, confusion evident in her eyes. "But I would never hurt Roxy. You all know that."

"Of course we do." Roxanna assured her. She turned to Rhyder. "Are you sure that's what you saw? What about me? Was I trying to hurt her?"

"No. You were holding back, only using defensive moves." He replied. He then sent a weak smile at Vivyanna. "But we don't know why. There could be other factors that attributed to that scene."

"I wouldn't attack my sister for whatever reason!" Vivyanna exclaimed, fuming. No, literally. The edges of her sleeves began to smoke.

"Vivy." Roxanna motioned at her sleeves. Vivyanna shoved her hands in her pockets.

"I wouldn't hurt her." She repeated. I decided it was time to step in.

"We know." I promised her. "What Rhyder's saying though, is that we don't know all the details. Maybe it's a hologram or something. Designed to trick us."

It wasn't the most logical thing, but nothing about what Rhyder said made any sense. Vivyanna latched onto my idea like a lifeline.

"Right. Of course. Maybe it was me, but fighting a hologram of Roxy. Or maybe Roxy was being attacked by a hologram that she thought was me." She nodded. "You're right. That's got to be it."

She was desperately hoping for that to be it, as was everyone else in the room.

"What else?" Marcus asked Rhyder, distracting everyone. "You said there were two fights. What about the other one?"

"That's kind of confusing. One was Derek." We all tensed at his name. "And the other was some kid I've never seen before. Short guy, couldn't be more than fourteen. He wasn't using powers though. He had a bunch of weapons and tools."

"Like batman?" Alex asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure. Like batman." I agreed. "Just like batman."

"So, how badly was the kid losing?" Roxanna asked curiously. She saw our expressions. "What? It's a reasonable enough question."

"Not too badly, but badly enough that he wouldn't be walking again any time soon." Rhyder replied.

"Do you have any idea who this kid could be?" I asked. Rhyder shook his head.

"Sorry, no. But I would recognize him on sight." He added quickly.

"How does that help us?" Marcus asked.

"If we find the kid and Rhyder recognizes him, we can protect him from Derek." Roxanna told him. He nodded thoughtfully. "But anything else? Scenery? Anything else that you can remember?"

"Well, there was one other thing." Rhyder replied. He looked at my sister. "You."

"What about me?" Bree asked, confused. Rhyder swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and looked at her.

"I saw you. You were in a cell, but it had these weird, blue energy bars instead of the normal ones." He said. "But other than that, it was like the ones back at the Facility."

Bree stared at him. "We're not going to let them take you." Adam promised her quickly. She nodded.

"What else? Was there anyone there? Maybank?" Roxanna questioned. Rhyder frowned and shook his head.

"Maybe…Bree was shouting at someone, but I don't think it was Maybank." He replied.

"What did I say?" Bree asked.

"'How could you betray us like this? I thought you were our friend!'" Rhyder quoted. "Word for word."

We all looked at one another. "You think one of us is a traitor?" Mira's voice was even smaller than normal, and laced with fear.

"None of us would hurt each other!" Roxanna exclaimed. She looked at her sister as she spoke. "None of us."

"But what other friends do we have?" Bree questioned. "Who else but one of us could be a traitor."

"Really? Who don't you trust?" Marcus demanded. Bree raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, you." She replied coldly. "I mean, considering everything you've put us through…"

I was shaking my head, motioning for Bree to stop talking, but it was too late. Everyone had heard her.

"Bree, what are you talking about?" Rhyder asked. Marcus sighed.

"Look, I already said this to Chase, but I'm sorry. I put my faith in the wrong person, and I hurt you. I'm so sorry." He apologized. Bree frowned at me.

"When did he apologize to you?" She demanded.

"While we were waiting for our food at Pizza Hut." I replied.

"Okay, will someone tell me what they're talking about?" Rhyder demanded.

"You really don't know?" Bree asked.

"Bree." I got her attention. "What's done is done. Let's move past it."

"No, no. I want to hear this." Vivyanna said suddenly, speaking for the first time in a while.

Marcus didn't look to inclined to speak. But Bree was more than happy to spill the beans. "Oh, he did plenty." She told the group, almost cheerfully. "He kidnapped our father, used him as bait for a trap for us, and tried to kill our step-brother! Twice!"

Everyone was stunned. "But…but that…that can't be true." Vivyanna objected, staring at Bree in disbelief. "Right Marcus?"

Marcus looked down, unable to meet anyone's gazes. "Marcus?" Vivyanna said his name.

"Marcus, is that true?" Roxanna asked, her voice quiet. He looked at her when he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry." He told her, before backing out of the room.


	10. Forgiveness

**Chase's POV**

Everyone in the room was absolutely stunned.

"Did he really do all that?" Vivyanna looked at me, eyes wide and shocked. I nodded stiffly.

"But Marcus…" Alex trailed off. "But he wouldn't do that now, right? He's a good guy."

"Yes, he is." Roxanna agreed firmly. She looked at Bree. "You should apologize."

"What?" Bree demanded. "Did you not hear what I said?"

"Yes, I did." Roxanna replied calmly. "But he obviously wanted to keep that in the past, and you just ruined that for him."

"He kidnapped us, and tried to kill our step-brother!" Bree objected.

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for that." Rhyder interrupted. "Isn't there?"

"There is." I agreed before Bree could argue. She glared at me. "Sorry Bree, I'm sort of with them on this one."

"How can you say that?" She demanded.

"Has he tried to hurt you since we ran into him at the Facility?" I asked. She hesitated. "Bree?"

"No." she admitted. I nodded.

"Exactly. And he hasn't hurt me, or Adam." I looked at my brother and he nodded in agreement. "I think that says something."

"But-" She started to object, but Rhyder interrupted her.

"Okay, what really happened?" He asked. "The whole story please."

"It's a long story." I warned.

"And it's a 12 hour train ride, so start talking." He replied, leaning back against the wall.

"Alright." I said. "When we met Marcus, we thought he was just some random new kid at our school. He seemed lonely, so we befriended him."

"Our brother Leo kept telling us not to trust him and that he was a bad guy." Adam added,

"Sounds like he's a smart kid, your step brother." Vivyanna commented. I nodded.

"Yeah, he is." Bree agreed. "Anyway, we didn't believe him. We thought Marcus was our friend."

"Then, one day, we came home to find that Mr. Davenport had been kidnapped, by Marcus and his dad." I continued. Alex frowned.

"How can robots have dads?" he asked.

"He's an android." Vivyanna and I both corrected at the same time. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He replied.

"Technically, his dad was the one who created him." I told the younger boy. He nodded and motioned for us to continue.

"Anyway, Marcus and his dad kidnapped Mr. Davenport to use as bait. For us." Bree continued.

"Why were they so interested in you guys? Did they know about your bionics?" Alex asked. Bree nodded and looked at us for permission. She wasn't sure if she should tell them about our relation to Douglas.

"The guy who created him is named Douglas Davenport. He's our dad. Mr. Davenport, the man that raised us, is our uncle." I informed them. They all stared at us.

"Wait, Douglas Davenport?" Vivyanna repeated. We nodded, frowning at her.

"Is it just me, or does that name sound familiar?" Roxanna asked her sister. She nodded.

"Yeah, it does." She agreed.

"Could Marcus have mentioned it?" Adam asked. Both girls shrugged.

"Maybe." They didn't sound too sure though.

"Anyway, so Douglas wanted to use us as his own personal weapons, and Marcus helped him. We infiltrated their secret lab to save Mr. Davenport. Douglas and Marcus captured us, and our step-brother Leo came after us." Adam continued the story.

"Marcus tried to kill him, and even thought he did, but Leo survived." Bree said. "Leo went back to our place and got one of Mr. Davenport's cool inventions. Then he kicked Douglas' sorry ass, and we destroyed his lab."

"What about Marcus?" Vivyanna asked. "What happened to him?"

"He was buried by a ton of rubble." Bree replied. "We figured he was dead."

"Then we went home." Adam finished. Roxanna and Vivyanna looked at each other, then Bree.

"Apologize." They ordered, pointing at the door. Bree stared at them like she was crazy.

"Excuse me? Did you not hear what I just said?" She demanded.

"You left him for dead!" Roxanna exclaimed, looking absolutely horrified. "How could you do something like that? Any of you?"

She looked at me and Adam. I couldn't hold her gaze. She was right. We should have looked. We should have checked to see if he was really alive. No matter how angry we were with him, we shouldn't have just left him there. At the very least, had he died, he should have gotten a proper burial.

"Okay, maybe you're right about that, but he still did all sorts of evil things!" Bree argued.

"Did Douglas go after him?" Vivyanna questioned, her tone implying that she already knew the answer. Bree hesitated.

"I…No, I don't think so." She replied after a moment.

"It sounds to me as if Marcus was being used. Like he was one of Douglas' weapons." Rhyder said.

"He wasn't." Bree objected. But her argument was getting weaker.

"Bree, think of it like this. Douglas, no offense, seems like an ass. But he also seems like he's the only family that Marcus has only ever known. Do you really blame him for wanting to please his father?" Vivyanna asked. Bree didn't answer. "Bree, Marcus probably didn't realize what he was doing was wrong. He was just trying to help his dad."

"Maybe…" Bree trailed off.

"Marcus really loved him, you know." Roxanna continued. "He didn't tell us anything about this, but he did mention his dad from time to time. And I know that Marcus cared about him and wanted to make him proud. And I'm guessing he was really hurt and shocked when Douglas abandoned him."

Bree hesitated. "Wouldn't you do anything to make Mr. Davenport proud?" Vivyanna questioned. Bree took a long to think about it.

"Yeah, I would." She admitted after a while.

"You also have to realize that he's a different person now too." Roxanna added. "He knows he made a mistake and he's trying to learn from it."

"He apologized." I interjected, speaking for the first time in a while. Adam and Bree looked at me.

"When?" My brother questioned.

"At Pizza Hut." I replied. "Told me he was sorry for what he did and he asked for a second chance."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bree demanded. I shrugged.

"He said he was trying to figure out the perfect time to apologize to you." I replied. Bree frowned, then looked at the door.

"I really do have to go after him, don't I?" She asked. We all nodded. "Right. Here goes."

She walked out into the hall and out of our line of view. We all looked at each other.

"So…back to Rhyder's dream…" I trailed off, changing the topic.

**Marcus' POV**

In hindsight, running was actually a pretty stupid thing to do. I was on a train for crying out loud! What was I going to do? Jump off?

Somehow, I ended up in the observation car. I didn't really mean to go anywhere in specific. I just needed to get out of there. The car was empty, much to my surprise. But considering the time, I guessed that most of the other passengers were eating in the dining car.

I sat down on one of the benches and held my head in my hands. How could I be so stupid? I'd already apologized to Chase, back at Pizza Hut, and Adam seemed to have already forgiven me without either of us really having to talk. But Bree…I hadn't talked to Bree yet. I should have. But I didn't. Why?

 _Because you were afraid she hated you._  A small voice in my head told me. Chase had actually made an effort to get along with me. In fact, he'd actually spoken to me like he talked to everyone – without a hint of hatred or bitterness in his voice. And Adam didn't even seem mad about it. He seemed…understanding. But Bree had been giving me cold looks the entire trip. I'd been afraid to approach her because I knew how she'd react. I knew she hated me.

And she should. I deserved her hatred. She and her brothers had been my first friends, the first people that actually liked me. And I'd betrayed them. What I did was wrong. I knew that. And if I could go back and change it, I would in a heartbeat.

I never told the others anything about my past. Not even Roxanna or Vivyanna. I knew what they would think of me, I knew that they would hate me. I knew they would think I was a monster or something like that. So, I'd kept quiet.

Even though the Facility was a living hell, I'd actually made some friends there. Real friends, that I promised myself I would never betray. Alex and Mira were like the little brother and sister I always wanted. Rhyder was awesome, always in a good mood. I would always owe Vivyanna for saving my life. And Roxanna was always so supportive. These were people I trusted, liked.

And now all that was ruined, because I'd been too afraid to make up for my crimes. How could I be such an idiot?

"Marcus?" I turned to see Bree herself, standing in the doorway to the observation car.

"Hi." I said cautiously. She shoved her hands in her pockets and walked over beside me. She was quiet for a while as she watched the scenery. Eventually however, she spoke and when she did, her voice lacked the anger I had expected.

"Look, maybe I was a little harsh on you." She told me, much to my surprise.

"All you did was tell them the truth." I mumbled. She nodded.

"But I didn't have to. I just…" she trailed off. "I wanted to hurt you. As much as you hurt us. And making them hate you was the only way I could think to do that."

I didn't answer her. "Marcus, I'm…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"I deserved it." I said instantaneously.

"Maybe. But maybe you didn't." Bree replied. "Either way, it was wrong for me to do, and I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I told her. She looked at me.

"Marcus, I'm not sure if I can trust you. I mean, what you did was wrong." She said softly.

"I'm so sorry about that." I said her, although it was probably too late for apologies. "I'm so sorry. For lying to you, for kidnapping Mr. Davenport, for capturing you, for attacking Leo…for everything."

She nodded. "I'm not sure if I can trust you." She said again. She looked at me and smiled softly. "But I'm willing to give you a second chance. If you'll give me one."

"Really?" I didn't expect her to do that. She nodded.

"Really. So, let's agree that what's done is done, and only the present matters. Deal?" She held out her hand. I stared at it for a second. Was she really offering to be friends? With me? I hesitated a moment more, then shook her hand.

"Deal."

**Xxx**

Bree and I walked back into the cabin about ten minutes later. I could feel everyone staring at me, but tried to ignore it.

"So, what are we going to do about Rhyder's dream?" Roxanna asked as I sat down on my bunk and Bree walked over to her brothers. Vivyanna sat down next to me.

"Hey." She smiled at me. Usually it's impossible to get a smile out of her, so I assumed that meant she wasn't mad at me.

"What can we do?" Alex asked. "All we know is that Derek fights a random, Bree calls someone a traitor, and Vivyanna and Roxanna…" he trailed off, noticing the look both sisters were giving him "…have a little disagreement." He finished.

"It could just be a random dream." Rhyder offered, although no one actually believed that it meant nothing. "Not all my dreams tell the future. Because if they did, I would be in Hawaii with Scarlet Johannson serving me those drinks with the little umbrellas in them."

Everyone stared at him. "You are such a guy." Vivyanna told him, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I say we just act a little more cautious." Roxanna told us. "No harm in keeping an eye out for trouble, right?"

"Right." We all agreed.

"What about the traitor?" Adam asked. Adam, Bree, and Rhyder all looked in my direction. No, wait. They were looking at Vivyanna. I guess the part about her fighting Roxanna didn't look so good, especially when we had a potential traitor amongst us.

"None of us would do that." I said firmly. "None of us."

"Marcus is right." Bree agreed. "No one here is a traitor. It was just a dream."

"Speaking of dreaming…" Mira spoke up, stretching. "Can we go to bed now?"

"Sure thing, sweetie." Roxanna told her. She had a soft spot for the little girl, almost like how Vivyanna had a soft spot for Alex. Although either one of them would kill me if I dared to call them soft aloud.

"Good night boys." Roxanna yawned as she, Vivyanna, Mira and Bree walked out. We all climbed into our individual bunks, except for Chase.

"Have fun on the floor." Alex told him before pulling his covers over his head. We all smirked.

"I'm actually going to check out the observation car." Chase told us, heading for the door. "You know, get a little fresh air?"

"Night." Adam yawned. Chase smiled.

"Night." He replied, flipping the light switch.


	11. Midnight Chats and Surprise Visitors

**Chase's POV**

I leaned against the railing in the observation car, watching the trees fly by as we sped through the country. Man, it had been a long day. Psychic dreams, the whole Marcus reveal, everything. It was crazy.

"What are you doing up?" I turned to see Vivyanna standing in the doorway to the car. She walked over and leaned on the railing next to me. "Well?"

"My only option was the floor." I replied. "Besides, after Rhyder's dream, I figured it would be best to have someone on guard."

She nodded. "Not a bad idea." She admitted.

"What about you? Why are you still up?" It must have been past midnight. She shrugged.

"Can't sleep. I figured that I might as well get some fresh air rather than listen to Mira snore for another hour." She smirked. "For such a silent girl, she snores LOUD."

I chuckled. "Why couldn't you sleep?" I asked. She shrugged again. "You were thinking about what Rhyder said, weren't you?"

"He said I was going to attack my sister, Chase." I could hear the distress creeping into her voice.

"It might have been nothing." I reminded her. She shook her head.

"Those dreams are never nothing." She told me. "We all know that. And the only reason no one's saying anything is because they don't want to believe that I could betray them."

"Would you?" I couldn't help but ask her.

"No! For god's sake she's my sister Chase!" Vivyanna cried. "Would you ever attack Adam or Bree?"

"You're right, that was a stupid question." I admitted. "But you think it might be real."

"It's always real. But I don't want…I…" She trailed off, unsure of how to word it. She took a deep breath. "Why would he see that? Why would he see me attacking her, hurting her?"

She looked at me, desperate for an answer that would satisfy her. But I didn't have one. "I don't Vivyanna. I just don't know."

She sighed. "I thought you might say that."

"Hey, we're not going to let anything happen." I told her. "Promise."

"You can't make promises like that." She told me. I smirked.

"Watch me." I replied. She sighed and opened her hand. A small flame was dancing around in her palm, lighting up our faces with its soft light. "You've got to show me how to do that one of these days."

"No. Trust me, you don't want fire powers." She told me quickly. I frowned.

"Don't you like them?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No! I'd do anything to get rid of them." She replied.

"Why?" I couldn't imagine wanting to give up my bionics.

"I like that I'm never cold and stuff, but fire's dangerous Chase." Vivyanna told me. "It's nearly impossible to control, and it's way too dangerous."

"You seem to do alright." I objected.

"Right now." she closed her fist, killing the light. "But if I ever lose control, even once, I'm going to end up killing someone. Fire means burning people and smoke inhalation and destruction."

"I guess, but fire can save people from the cold, and it drives off the dark, remember?" She shrugged. "There's a god side and a bad side to everything, Vivyanna. You just need to look."

She rolled her eyes. "Prove it."

"Give me an example." I challenged. She thought about it.

"Derek. What's so good about him?" she asked. I actually had to think about that one.

"Bad; he's a monster. Good; he's a good fighter." Vivyanna stared at me.

"Seriously? Alright, what about the Facility? What was so good about that?" She questioned.

"We met you and the others, didn't we? I consider that a good thing, don't you?" I replied. She sighed.

"Yeah, it is." She agreed, then added with a smirk "I guess."

"I guess?" I repeated. "Thanks."

"I was joking and you know it." She pushed me slightly. I pushed her back, smiling. "Okay, so what's the plan? Like, after we meet up with this Mr. Davenport?"

"We're going to go to one of his labs." I replied. She tensed at the word. "What's wrong?"

"A lab? Like, a science experiment lab?" she asked suspiciously. "Are you crazy?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, I'm not. And it's not really a lab. It's more of a warehouse probably. It's supposed to be really big, so we'll all have room, and remote enough that the agents will never find us."

"Do they know that Marcus is with us?" she questioned. I nodded.

"Mr. Davenport does. I'm not sure about Leo." I replied.

"And he's okay with this?" she inquired. I hesitated. "He's not, is he?"

"Not really. Mr. Davenport told us to tell you guys what Marcus did, then ditch him as soon as possible." I admitted. She glared at me.

"Not going to happen!" She exclaimed. I looked at the door, hoping that she didn't wake anyone up.

"I know. He stays with us." I assured her. "Mr. Davenport will just have to trust us that he's changed."

"Good." Vivyanna replied. I looked at her.

"You're really fond of him, aren't you?" I guessed. She shrugged.

"He's a good friend." She replied. "Learning about his past didn't change that."

"Would you do it?" I asked suddenly. She frowned at me.

"Do what?"

"If your father asked you to do the same things Marcus did, would you?" I questioned. She shook her head.

"Not even if he promised me a billion dollars." She replied. I frowned.

"But earlier you said…" I trailed off.

"There's a difference. Marcus looked up to his dad, I would like nothing more than to see mine rot in hell." She told me.

"That's a little harsh." I commented. "What did he do?"

She hesitated. "How…how do you think me and Roxy got our powers?"

"How?" I was curious now.

"He wanted something to take over the world with." Vivyanna shrugged. "The three of us – Roxy, Dad and I – were supposed to be an unstoppable team. And if we couldn't do what he wanted us to, well then we'd be replaced."

"So, he gave you guys powers?" I guessed. She nodded.

"Yeah, some sort of formula mixed with electro-thingies. I'm not entirely sure. I was just a little kid, I don't remember much." She replied. I nodded.

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. She shrugged.

"Like I said, I'm not a fan of the powers, but it could have been worse. Roxy and I weren't the first test subjects." She shuddered. "Only a few survived, and they were hideously deformed usually."

"Mad scientist dads suck, am I right?" I joked, trying to distract her from those memories. She smirked.

"You're right." She looked up at the sky. The moon was shining brightly, almost full. The soft, white light lit Vivyanna up like a spotlight. I had to admit, she looked pretty in the moonlight. "I wonder what tomorrow I going to bring."

**Xxx**

If I thought the last train station was big, this one was gigantic. There were shops all around us, and of course platforms and trains. There were a lot of people too. It was nearly impossible for the nine of us to stay together as we made our way through the crowds.

"What now?" Bree had to shout to be heard over the crowd. Adam gestured at a small shop nearby. We followed him into it, where it was much quieter. "What now?" My sister repeated.

"Now, we find a pay phone to call Mr. Davenport. He should be able to send us fake passports or something." I replied. Vivyanna glanced behind her.

"Good idea. While you guys do that, I'm going to visit the ladies room."

"Why didn't you go before we got off the train?" Roxanna asked, sounding annoyed.

"Because I didn't need to go then." Vivyanna replied childishly. Roxanna rolled her eyes. "Look, I'll be right back."

"Vivyanna, wait!" Mira exclaimed. She ran over to Vivyanna. "I need to talk to you."

"When I come back, we can talk about whatever you want." Vivyanna promised. "Except for where babies come from. I'm not having that conversation with a seven year old."

She jogged off towards the restrooms. Roxanna looked around. "Anyone else?"

Marcus slowly raised his hand and she groaned. "Hey, don't give me that look!" Marcus snapped. "I was going to go while we were still on board, but Rhyder was in there for a half hour."

"Hey! It takes time for me to look this good." Rhyder argued. Marcus rolled his eyes and walked towards the men's room.

"Okay," I said, looking at the others. "Let's find that payphone, shall we?"

We spent a couple of minutes looking around. "The only ones I can see are being used by some randoms!" Bree complained.

"Well, you could borrow my phone." A voice suggested. A familiar voice. We all spun around and stared at the source of the voice.

"No way." I said.

**Vivyanna's POV**

"God, my hair's a mess." I complained to myself, glancing at my reflection in the station's washroom. Usually, I wasn't so picky about that kind of thing. But usually, the only people that saw me were my friends, not the public. I looked like a runaway, and that wasn't the best way to look when you were running away from the government.

I noticed the washroom door open, and someone walked in. It was a boy, but I couldn't tell much about him. His face and hair were covered by the hood of his red hoodie, and his hands were in his pockets. Still, I knew it was a guy.

"You know this is the girl's room, right?" I asked, washing my hands in the sink. He didn't answer, instead walking closer to me. I turned around to face him. "You deaf or something? Get lost."

"I don't think so." The boy pulled back his hood and everything seemed to stop. No…not him. Anyone but him. He smirked at my shocked expression. "Hello Vivyanna."

I gulped nervously. "Derek."


	12. Helicopters and Derek

**Vivyanna's POV**

"Derek." I breathed in shock. What was he doing here? I doubted that he escaped on his own. He needed others present to take their powers and even he wasn't stupid enough to try and take out everyone in the Facility on his own. Then it hit me. He was working with the agents. He was working with that sick SOB Maybank and the rest of them to take us down. Derek smirked as a look of realization crossed over my face.

"Vivyanna," he grinned coldly "A little birdie told me you'd be here."

"By here, do you mean the station or the washroom?" I questioned, trying to think. There was no one else in the washroom, which was good for them. Derek couldn't hurt them, and I could use my fires without fear of killing anyone. It was too small a room to fight properly though. And the sounds might attract innocents.

"They told me which station." Derek replied dismissively. "They were very helpful. All it took was a little persuasion, and they switched sides in the blink of an eye."

"A traitor." I muttered. One of the three things Rhyder had predicted. "Who?"

"I'll tell you if you come with me." He offered, eyes glinting. He knew there was no way I'd come with him. He'd have to kill me before I would go back to The Facility. I smirked.

"Not a chance." I snapped. He shrugged.

"Alright then. Hard way it is." He charged at me then. I side stepped him, my leg outstretched. He tripped over and fell into the sink. He wasn't down for long and attacked me again. I tried to dodge him, but he was faster and managed to knock me to the ground. On my way down, I caught the side of my face on the sink.

I didn't have time to worry about that though. I swept out my leg, knocking Derek off balance. Then I jumped to my feet and ran for the door. A fast moving projectile flew right past my face, missing it by an inch. I hadn't been prepared for it and stumbled out of surprise. I spun around to see Derek holding a gun. He had a sadistic smirk on his face, clearly enjoying the shock on mine.

"You might want to reconsider. Maybank wants you and your damn sister alive, but I'll more than happily shoot you in the leg or arm." Derek told me. "So long as the shot doesn't kill you, I can shoot you where ever I want and I might even be praised for it."

I took a deep breath, thrust out my hands, and sent a blast of fire his way. He ducked to the side to avoid it and I took the opportunity to escape. I slammed the door shut behind me, my hand on the handle. I focused for a second, using my powers to heat the metal door hand so hot that it melted a bit, welding it to the door frame.

That wouldn't hold Derek for long, but it did give me time to try and find the others.

**Chase's POV**

"No way." I breathed, both relieved and surprised. The boy in front of us grinned widely, excitement and relief in his eyes.

"Did you miss me?" He asked. Adam picked him up in a massive hug.

"Leo!" He exclaimed, hugging our step-brother tightly.

"Adam-can't-breathe!" Leo gasped for air. Adam put him back on the ground and Bree and I each got our hugs.

"What are you doing here?" Bree demanded, smiling.

"To save you guys and your friends. Speaking of which," Leo looked at Roxanna and smiled. "How you doing?"

I face palmed. Seriously Leo? Flirting with Roxanna? Really?

Roxanna giggled. "I'm guessing this is the Leo you guys are always talking about?" She asked. I nodded.

"Guys." Rhyder whispered. I looked at him and saw that he was staring at Leo.

"What's up?" I asked, concerned.

"He's the kid!" Rhyder exclaimed in a hushed whisper. "The one who was fighting Derek in my dream."

"What?" I demanded. Before Rhyder could answer, Leo screamed.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Leo jumped back, pointing over my shoulder. I glanced back to see Marcus walking towards us. Everyone stared at Leo as if he was crazy.

"What's wrong?" Alex demanded. Leo jumped behind Adam.

"Marcus!" He screamed. Marcus chuckled.

"Good to see you too, Leo." He greeted sarcastically. Leo glared at him.

"Leo, it's alright. Marcus is a good guy now." Adam assured him. Leo stared at him.

"He tried to kill me!" He exclaimed. Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Get over it!" He snapped. Leo looked at him.

"Uh, no!" He argued. Marcus rolled his eyes and looked around.

"Hey, where's Vivyanna?" he asked. "She should have been back by now, right?"

"Who's Vivyanna?" Leo asked, still looking at Marcus with a mix of fear and hatred. Bree jerked her thumb at me.

"She's Chase's girlfriend." She replied.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I snapped. Leo frowned looked like he believed Bree more. "Seriously, she's not."

"Chase?" Mira tugged on my sleeve. Her eyes were bright with fear. "I…I need to tell you something. Like, right now."

"There she is!" Roxanna called. I turned to see Vivyanna running towards us. I knew immediately that something was wrong. She was pale, as if she'd just seen a ghost, and there was a long cut on her cheek. She skidded to a stop, grabbing my arm to steady herself.

"What's wrong?" I asked, touching the cut. It was still bleeding. "What happened?"

"Derek." She answered, gasping for breath.

"What?" Roxanna demanded, looking at her sister with concern.

"Derek." Vivyanna repeated. "He's here. He found us."

"How'd he escape?" Adam questioned.

"I don't think he did." Vivyanna answered, looking behind her as she pushed us through the crowd. "The way he was talking, I think the agents let him out. Maybank wants us back."

"Oh, shit." Marcus swore. Leo looked at us, confused.

"Who's Derek? And who's Maybank?" he asked. Vivyanna looked at me.

"More importantly, who's this dweeb?" she asked.

"My step-brother." I told her. I looked down at Leo. "Maybank and Derek are both very dangerous people who want to kidnap us again. We need to get out of here."

"Big D has the helicopter waiting for us up on the roof. The big one. I guess he knew that you guys would have company." Leo told us. I grinned. Way to go Mr. Davenport. "We just need to get to him."

"Let's go." Marcus said. Leo stopped him.

"Not you." He objected. Bree sighed.

"Leo, he's coming with us, or you might as well leave us all behind." She told him. Leo looked at us, frowning.

"But guys…" he started to argue. But stopped when we heard the screaming. We glanced over our shoulders to see men and women in suits pushing through the crowd. Many of them were armed.

"We don't have time for this!" Roxanna broke into a run and we all followed her.

"Guys-" Mira started to say, but Vivyanna cut her off.

"Look, we'll listen to whatever you have to say later, alright? I promise." she snapped. "But, we're kind of busy at the moment."

We burst into the stairwell and slammed the door shut behind us. "There's only two floors, so we should be heading to the roof." Rhyder told us. "Let's go."

We bolted up the stairs as fast as our legs could carry us. We had just reached the stairs that led to the roof when we heard a door open. "You're dead, filth!"

"What was that?" Leo demanded, running next to me. "Because it kind of reminds me of Spike."

"Meet Derek, the psychopath we all know and hate." Bree told him as we pushed open the door to the roof. I could hear the agents scrambling up the stairs, and I knew we didn't have long.

Luckily, Mr. Davenport was hovering above us, two rope ladders hanging out of the helicopter. "Climb up!" he shouted.

"Well?" I asked, looking at the others. "Do as he says!"

Adam and Alex reached the ladders first. Marcus and Leo were next, Rhyder and Mira right behind them. Roxanna and Bree were right beneath them while me and Vivyanna were waiting for them. They were halfway up the ladder when the agents burst through the door.

"Damn it!" I heard Vivyanna swear as I climbed in. "Hurry up, Banshee!"

"Hurry up guys!" Marcus called as the agents started shooting at us. Suddenly, Roxanna let out a cry of pain. She almost fell off the ladder, nearly taking me with her. Luckily, Adam and Leo grabbed her arms before she could. They started to pull her up just as the helicopter started to rise.

When I was nearly at the top, something bad happened. I guess one of the bullets must have hit it, because one side of the second rope ladder broke. I was on the good ladder, but Mira, Bree and Vivyanna were all on the broken one.

"Guys!" I reached out my hand to steady the ladder, but a burst of pain exploded in my shoulder just then. I couldn't stop the shout of shock and pain that escaped, nor could I hang onto the ladder. Strong arms grabbed mine and pulled me up. But it was too late; I'd lost my telekinetic grip on the girls' ladder. I wasn't sure what happened next, because everything started to go dim. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was someone shouting.

**Vivyanna's POV**

The ladder Mira, Bree and I were on flew to one side suddenly, surprising all of us. I looked up to see that part of the ladder broke.

"Mira, climb! NOW!" Bree shouted. I didn't look down at her. There was no way this ladder would hold all three of us. I looked at Chase, hoping that maybe we could climb onto his ladder. He raised his hand, and our ladder started to steady itself.

"Ack!" He shouted, nearly falling off his ladder. It was so sudden, so surprising that I didn't even realize that he'd been shot until our ladder broke off completely.

The three of us (Bree, Mira and I) fell and hit the ground with three loud thuds. I gasped as I landed, all the air escaping from my lungs. I watched as the helicopter flew farther and farther away, until I could no longer see it.

 _Good._  I thought to myself.  _At least the others got away._

"Dammit!" Derek swore. I looked up at him. He looked furious. "I was supposed to get both sisters."

"Special Agent Maybank won't be happy." One of the agents warned him. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Good. I hope he kills you for disappointing him." I managed. Derek glared at me.

"Shut up, would you?" He swung his legs back, and aimed it at my head. I never saw it connect, but I did feel the sharp burst of pain before everything went black.


	13. Back to the Facility

**Chase's POV**

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the pain. My shoulder was throbbing. But why? And what was going on? It all came back in a flash, hitting me hard. The escape, Derek, Vivyanna, Bree and Mira getting recaptured, getting shot…Nothing I remembered was good.

I was lying on a cot in the middle of a white room. I could see orange sunlight shining in from the window above me, so I assumed the sun was either rising or setting. It had been midday when we were at the train station, but my entire body felt still, so I knew I had been out for at least a day.

I immediately checked my shoulder to see how much damage had been done to it when I was shot. To my surprise, it was wrapped in clean, white bandages. I frowned. Who would have done that?

Suddenly, the door opened. To my surprise and relief, it was Tasha. "Chase!" She smiled. "I thought I heard you moving around. How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." I admitted, rubbing my sore shoulder as I sat up. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of days." Tasha must have seen my horrified expression. "You didn't miss much." She assured me.

But that wasn't why I was upset. Maybank and Derek had taken Bree, Mira, and Vivyanna. Who knows what they could have done to them in the past two days?

"Where is everyone?" I asked, getting out of bed. I leaned against the wall as a wave of vertigo hit me.

"Maybe you should lie back down." Tasha suggested. I smiled gratefully at her, but shook my head.

"No, there are things that need to be dealt with." I replied. I looked at the door behind her. "So where is everyone?"

Tasha sighed and opened the door. I got up and followed her through a hallway, passing three doors on our way to a fairly large room. There was a large dining room table in the middle of the room and Adam, Alex, and Rhyder were sitting at it. To the left was a small kitchen, where Roxanna, Mr. Davenport and Leo sat at a counter, talking in low voices. To the right were two large couches. Marcus sat on one, tossing a ball up and down as if he was bored.

"Chase!" Alex exclaimed, speeding over and tackling me in a hug. Leo and Adam were next, the latter lifting me off the ground with his bear hug.

"Adam, ow." I grimaced at the pain in my shoulder. "Put me down."

"Sorry." Adam apologized, setting me down on my feet. I shrugged, then immediately regretted it.

"How bad does it hurt?" Roxanna asked, spinning around on the stool she was sitting on.

"I'm fine." I lied. No one believed me.

"Fine is a bad word. Lucky is a better one." Mr. Davenport told me. "The bullet only hit soft tissue. Had it hit anywhere else, even if it was off by a few millimetres, you could have died."

"Guess I'm lucky then." I agreed. I sat down at the dining room table. "Has anything happened since I passed out? Have we come up with a plan to rescue Bree, Mira and Vivyanna?"

"Not yet." Roxanna replied, sitting down next to me.

"You haven't missed much. Just Leo flirting with Roxy, Marcus avoiding everyone, and some decent Chinese food." Rhyder told me, sitting down at the table. By this point, everyone was at the table, even Marcus. Although, he and Leo made a point of sitting at opposite ends of the table, glaring at each other the entire time. I sighed. I guess some things will never change.

"Well, we have to go get them." I said, referring to the girls. "We can't just leave them there."

"Of course not." Roxanna agreed. "But the problem is they'll be expecting us to come back. We'll be walking straight into a trap."

"I'll still say we go in there with some firepower and get rid of Maybank and Derek once and for all." Marcus offered.

"I think stealth is the better option." Rhyder argued. "None of us can take Derek head on, so we should try and get the girls out without drawing attention to ourselves."

"That will never work!" Alex argued. Everyone started debating different ideas then, no one liking anyone's plans except their own. Roxanna sighed.

"And this is why we haven't figured out a plan." She muttered. "GUYS!"

Everyone stopped and looked at her. "I don't care how we do it, but we need to get them out. FAST. Maybank and Derek could be torturing them for all we know."

"No one could be that cruel." Tasha objected. We all looked at her like she was crazy.

"You've clearly never met Maybank." Rhyder told her. He sighed. "Guys, I hate to be the one to say it, but how do we know that they're even still alive?"

"They're not dead." Marcus growled. "They can't be."

"Well, I doubt Maybank's going to be very pleased with them for escaping. I mean, he lost everyone except for Derek. He might just be angry enough to kill them." Rhyder pointed out. He looked at Roxanna and Marcus. "What happened when he caught you guys?"

Roxanna sighed. "We were all kept in separate cells. They withheld food and water for a couple of days as a punishment, then interrogated us to see who came up with the plan to escape. It was Vivyanna, but I lied and said it was me. And of course, she wanted to take the credit, and I guess neither of us would back down, so they couldn't tell who it was. Well, I think they suspected that I was the one lying, but they couldn't prove it."

"Teamwork. Nice." Rhyder grinned. Roxanna gave him a small smile.

"I was dumped into Mira's cell the next day. I didn't see Vivyanna until that Friday at the fights though, not even in the showers. My guess it that they were trying to keep us separate so that we could plot another escape."

"Well, that didn't stop you guys." I smirked. Roxanna smiled, then sighed.

"Maybank might end up doing that, but he might be worse to them because the rest of us got out." She told us. "Either way, we need to get them out as fast as we can."

"So what's the plan?" Marcus asked. Mr. Davenport sighed.

"I doubt that we're going to be able to get in there stealth like. They'll definitely be waiting for you guys to try a rescue. So, I say we get all the fire power we can and walk in the front door."

"What sort of fire power?" Rhyder questioned. Mr. Davenport smiled that usual, cocky smile of his.

"In the past two weeks, I've designed at least a dozen different weapons that we can use against them." He offered. Leo grinned.

"Sweet! Let's go kick some Facility ass!" He exclaimed.

**Bree's POV**

I sighed again as my stomach growled for the eighth time today. It had been two days since we'd been recaptured. They had thrown me and Vivyanna into cells right next to each other. They were so close that we could see each other through the thick, power restraining bars. As for Mira, she'd been brought down another hallway. We hadn't seen her since.

Vivyanna didn't seem too worried about it though. According to her, the agents probably considered Mira too young to have created such an escape plan. Which meant we were the ones getting punished and not her. She was probably training or something. What worried me was that the only sparring partner she could get was Derek, and he was definitely willing to hurt a little girl if he felt like it.

Anyway, in the two days we'd been here, no one had come to visit us except for the agents guarding our cells day and night. This also meant that no one had brought us food or water. We were both starting to go a little crazy from hunger and thirst.

However, something felt different today. There were newer agents, wearing suits rather than the dark uniforms they usually wore. And I'd heard talk about some people, the Scientist and the Founder. I asked Vivyanna who those were.

"They're the guys who founded the Facility, damn bastards. If they're coming to see us…" she shuddered. "Well, I don't think we'll survive long enough to be rescued."

"Have you met them before?" I asked. Vivyanna hesitated.

"One of them." Judging by her tone, she didn't want to talk about it. So I dropped the subject. For a few hours at least. Then Maybank walked in.

"Well, hello Vivyanna, hello Bree." He greeted, smirking. We both got to our feet, glaring at him from behind the cell's bars.

"Where's Mira?" I demanded. He looked amused.

"I'll get to that in a few minutes." He assured us. "Right now, you're going to tell me where the others are."

"No way." "Not going to happen." We replied without hesitation. Maybank looked at us.

"The founders will be here within the hour. I suggest you start talking before they show up." He said to us. He glanced at Vivyanna. "I'm sure you don't want to disappoint your father."

"Father?" I looked at her. "Your dad is one of the people running this prison?"

She refused to look at me, instead glaring at Maybank. "My father can go to hell for all I care."

"Father?" I repeated. Maybank smirked.

"Oh, you never told them?" He asked her. She didn't answer. He looked at me. "I'll give you a chance, girl. The Founder and The Scientist really don't care about you. But they do want both sisters."

"What are you proposing?" I asked, crossing my arms. This should be good.

"Tell me where your friends are. Roxanna and the others will be brought in. But you and your brothers can walk free. We'll even erase your data from the system. No one will ever bother you again. Your lives can go back to normal."

I didn't even have to think about it. "I'm not telling you anything."

Maybank was a liar. He'd keep us all here. And even if he did come through for us, the others would get punished in our place. I was raised to be a hero and to protect people. Even if I didn't like some of those people.

"Are you sure about that? I won't give you the offer twice." He informed me. I raised my head, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Go to hell." I replied. Vivyanna smirked.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." She added. She narrowed her eyes at Maybank. "So, why do they care so much about me and Roxy? I can imagine Dad's not to pleased with either of us, but the Scientist has no quarrel with us. I've never even met him."

"Oh trust me. He's got plans for you." He told her. She bit her lip, frowning. Maybank started to leave, but I called him back.

"Wait!" I shouted. He turned to me, a smile on his face.

"What is it?" he asked, his tone cold.

"Who told you how to find us?" I demanded. His smile grew.

"You want to know who betrayed you? Which one of your friends is the traitor that broke your trust?" He asked. "Derek, why don't you show them?"

Derek stepped out, pushing someone forward by their shoulders. My breath caught in my throat. I was stunned. Vivyanna clearly hadn't expected this either; the shock was written all over her face.

"You?" She asked in a hushed whisper. How could this be? We trusted this person. We cared about them! How could they betray us like this?

The person standing in front of us, the traitor, was Mira.


	14. The Founders and Their Plans

**Vivyanna's POV**

"Mira?" I gasped, completely stunned. How could it be her? She was such a sweet, little girl.

"How could you betray us like this, Mira?" Bree demanded, just as shocked. "We thought you were out friend!"

An eerie chill went down my back. Rhyder's dream…that's what Bree had said in his dream. Leo's appearance and Bree's line were confirming two of the three. But I wouldn't let the third thing happen. Ever.

"I'm-I'm sorry." Mira sniffled. It was then that I noticed the tears streaking down her face. "I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt!"

"Why would you do something like this?" I demanded. She flinched at my tone, but I didn't really care. "Answer me, Mira!"

"They…they said that no one would get hurt. They promised me they'd take me home to my mommy and daddy." She cried. "I'm so, so sorry."

I just shook my head at her in disgust. She seriously betrayed us because they people made her a promise? Even Mira should know better than to trust them!

"Derek, take her back to her cell." Maybank instructed. Mira frowned and tried to pull away as Derek grabbed her arms and started dragging her out of the room.

"But-but you said…" she didn't understand why he was doing that to her. Maybank rolled his eyes.

"Now, Derek." He ordered. Derek nodded, smirked at Bree and I, then left the room with the struggling little girl. "Well, I take it you had no idea, did you?" Maybank asked, turning back to us.

"How'd she do it? I don't see how she could have contacted you during the trip." I said. Bree looked at me, and I could see that she was still processing the fact that Mira had gotten us sent straight back to hell.

"We gave her a tracker when we suspected that you were going to make a break for it." Maybank replied. I glared furiously at him. "She activated it the first chance she got."

Suddenly, something occurred to me. Back at the train station, Mira had desperately tried to tell me something. She must have been trying to confess! I should have listened to her, despite the terrible timing.

"I'm going to give you girls one…" Maybank stopped, his phone suddenly ringing. Bree and I both looked at him.

"You should probably answer that." I suggested. He sent me a glare, but picked it up.

"Maybank here." He greeted. He listened for a moment, then sighed. "One of them, but we'll have the second one soon."

Another moment of silence. "They're reckless, impulsive kids. They'll come back for their friends, even if they know it's a trap." Maybank assured the caller. He listened again. "Yes sir. Everything will be ready by the time you arrive."

He hung up the phone and looked at us. "Sorry about that, but I have to go. Vivyanna, you should know that your father is eager to see you."

"Good. How I've missed our daddy-daughter talks." I replied sarcastically. Maybank walked away, leaving Bree and I alone once again.

I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, closing my eyes. "We're so screwed."

"We can still get out." Bree said optimistically. I shook my head.

"No, we can't. When the founders come, they bring twice the guard with them. And lost the disrupter that stops the bars from blocking our powers." I told her. "So, we have no way to escape the cells, and even if we did manage to, we'd have to fight our way through at least fifty agents."

It was true. We were powerless and outmatched. The only weapon we had was the small pocket knife I'd bought before boarding the train. It wouldn't be enough to fight anyone, although maybe it could be used to pick a lock. It had previously been hidden in my boots, but when I woke up and found that it was still there, I hid it in my sleeve.

"Don't tell me you're giving up." Bree said. I opened my eyes and looked at her.

"I'm just stating the facts." I replied. Bree raised an eyebrow.

"Speaking of facts, is it true that your father runs this place?" She questioned. I could tell that she was angry.

"Unfortunately, yes." I admitted. She stared at me.

"How could you not tell us?" She demanded. I rolled my eyes.

"I didn't think that announcing 'Hey, my dad's the psychopath that runs the hellhole we just escaped from' would get you guys to like me." I replied. Bree frowned.

"Since when do you care if people like you?" She asked.

"I don't, it's just…" I trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain it. "Look, I'm not proud of being his kid, alright? My father is an ass. He experimented on me and Roxy and when we tried to get away, he threw us in here as a punishment."

"Reminds me of Douglas." Bree muttered. I shrugged.

"Maybe they should join an abusive dads club." I tried a weak joke. Bree sighed.

"What does he want with you and Roxanna?" She asked. I frowned.

"I…I don't know. Before, years ago, he talked about using us as living weapons. But I don't see how he's going to do that now. He knows that neither of us are going to so much as listen to him, let alone obey him."

"What about your powers? Could he steal them, like Derek? Maybe with some device?" Bree asked, sitting down near the bars. I shook my head.

"Unlikely. He's…I don't know what the word for it is, but he's used technology to give him abilities, like Cyborg from DC comics. It's sort of like your bionics, but you guys at least look normal. He has no use for our powers. And Derek doesn't steal powers, he borrows them."

"Speaking of Derek, why is he doing as Maybank says? What has Maybank promised him?" Bree asked. I frowned at her.

"A, he's probably just trying to impress him. And B, he's likely been promised revenge. In case you haven't noticed, he's highly sadistic." I replied. Bree frowned.

"Why would he want to impress Maybank?" She asked in confusion. I stared at her, then realized that she didn't know.

"Oh, Maybank's his dad." I informed her. Her eyes widened. "I thought you knew."

"They're related?" She questioned. I nodded, and she sighed. "I should have known. They both seem to enjoy putting all of us in pain. Like father, like son."

"Yeah." I agreed softly, pulling my knees up to my chest. Bree noticed and realized that something was wrong.

"Wait, you're not scared of your dad, are you?" she asked, surprised. I shook my head.

"Hell no. I'd love to kick his ass right now though." I lied. Truth was, I was scared shitless of him. Another thing I didn't want to admit. Bree was clearly waiting for an answer though. I sighed. "You're back in the facility. Rhyder identified Leo as the guy from his dream and if they come back after us, Leo's likely going to end up fighting Derek. That's two out of three."

"You're worried that you're going to try and kill Roxanna." Bree realized. "Because everything else Rhyder predicted came true."

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Why would you do that?" Bree questioned. I shrugged.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. "I'm just…I'm just worried."

"You're not going to hurt her." Bree told me. "Now come on. We need to figure a way to get out of here."

"I doubt that's going to happen." A voice said. It sent shivers down my spine, simply because I recognized it. Bree stood up to greet him, but I stayed where I was.

"Who are you?" Bree demanded as my father stepped into the light. He was large and bald, wearing a black jacket. Bree gasped. "What happened to your face dude?"

I didn't even have to look to know that she was talking about the weirdly shaped scars on his face. "You must be Bree Davenport." My father mused. "I'm Victor Krane. I've heard much about you."

"Well Maybank should learn to keep his mouth shut." Bree growled. My father chuckled.

"No, no. That fool wasn't the one to speak about you." He smirked and another man stepped forward. This one was short, with brown spiky hair. For a second, he reminded me a lot like Chase, except for the seriously creepy smirk on his face. Bree's eyes narrowed at the man.

"I should have guessed that you'd be helping." She growled. She looked at me. "Vivyanna, meet Douglas."

"'Sup." I greeted, still not moving from my place on the floor. Douglas…that explained why he looked so much like Chase.

"So this is that girl you spoke of." Douglas mused, looking me over. "She doesn't look that tough."

"Let me out of here and I'll show you how tough I am." I offered, smiling. "I'd more than happily set you both on fire."

"I thought Derek was the violent one." Douglas frowned, looking at my father. "You haven't put her through the machine yet, have you?"

"What machine?" Bree and I both asked at the same time. My father smiled.

"You will see soon enough." He assured me. "But first, we need to speak about your friends."

"We're not going to tell you where they are." Bree questioned, crossing her arms. Douglas chuckled.

"Yes, you will." He said. "And then you're going to retrieve them for us."

I glanced at Bree. "You didn't tell me he was this crazy."

Bree nodded. "He's really stepped it up a notch."

"What makes you think we're going to tell you anything?" I demanded. My father ignored me and looked at Douglas.

"Do you think she'll survive the machine?" he asked, gesturing at Bree. Douglas shook his head.

"No, her bionics would overload." He replied. Bree frowned, obviously worried about whatever they were planning. I didn't blame her. "And I can't activate the Triton app unless we get Chase first because he can easily undo it with his override app."

"Triton app?" I muttered. Adam, Bree, and Chase had mentioned it, saying that it was intended to brainwash them or something.

My father just sighed at Douglas' news. "Very well. We'll have to wait for her." He looked at the guards guarding us. "Get my daughter and bring her to the machine room." He ordered, then he and Douglas turned and walked out the door.

"What?" I questioned as all four guards came into my cell, one of holding a pair of power-restraint hand-cuffs. They surrounded me quickly, two of them trying to pull me to my feet.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, kicking at them. I managed to knock one of them down, but not before I was dragged to my feet. I swung at them furiously, trying to get them off me, but my hands were pushed behind my back and the handcuffs secured.

"Where are you taking her?" Bree demanded. In a split second decision, I pulled away from the guards and hit the bars. I spun around, facing the agents. But I knew I had no chance of fighting them.

"Bree!" I hissed, dropping my pocket knife into her hands. Thankfully, no one saw the little exchange. The agents grabbed me roughly by my arms and forced me out of the cage. They started walking me towards the door. I looked back over my shoulder.

 _Get out before they send new guards._  I mouthed silently. She nodded to show that she understood, although it was clear that she wasn't happy with the plan.

The agents forced me down a hallway, one I'd never seen before. A gun was pressed into my back, stopping me from attempting to escape. I bit my lip in frustration. I had hoped for Bree and I to escape together. But at least one of us would get out. She could warn the others, keep Roxanna safe from our psycho of a father.

The agents pushed me into a room. In the center was a large chair like the kind used in a dentist office. Several machines were next to it. A heart monitor, brainwave monitor, etc. Images of me and Roxanna in similar set ups, back when I was a little girl, flashed across my mind. Normally, I can keep my composer, but not today.

"No!" I screamed, fighting again. "No, let me go! Let me go!"

Despite my struggles, I was forced into the chair. For a second, my hands were free. I took the opportunity to send jets of fire at the nearest agents. But my attack was stopped, my hands forced to the sides of the chair. They were quickly restrained and the fires stopped. They must have been made of the same material that the handcuffs were, because I could no longer use my powers. The agents then forced my legs into similar restraints.

"What the hell is this?" I demanded as my father walked into the room. Douglas was no where to be seen. My father didn't look at me, instead checking some things on a platform next to him.

"You shouldn't have run away, Vivyanna. We wouldn't be in this position if you just did as you were told." He told me, picking up a weird looking bracelet. He attached it to my wrist, and the machines around me came to life. Clearly, it was supposed to be monitoring my vitals. The fact that my father, a man who didn't care about safety procedures, would consider this necessary bothered me.

"What is this?" I repeated my question. He picked up a syringe, a golden liquid inside of it.

"This will teach you to be more obedient." He replied. "Don't worry; it won't hurt for too long."

I gulped nervous, shrinking away from the syringe. I wasn't exactly a fan of needles. And this just plain terrified me. "What do you mean?" I asked. I mentally cursed myself for the shakiness in my voice. "What's in there?"

"MCP14." He informed me. I'd never heard of it. He smirked at my expression as he walked closer with the syringe. "You're powerful, brat. And I need you to work for me, willingly or not."

The pushed my head down on the back of the chair. "Please," I couldn't believe that I was reduced to begging, but I was. "Please, don't do this."

My father smirked and slid the needle into my skin. I felt the thick liquid enter my blood system. For a second, I felt normal. And then, pain.

It wasn't like that kind of pain you get when you lose a bad fight. I remembered that time I fought Derek and broke both my leg and my right arm. That would be enjoyable compared to this. It felt as my bones were melting, as if my blood was on fire.

Someone was screaming. I'm pretty sure it was me. And then slowly, far too slowly, the pain faded into darkness.

**Krane's POV**

The girl was stronger than I originally thought. She should have passed out from the pain in a minute at most. She lasted nearly eight. She did scream for the majority of it though. For the last minute, her screams died into half-conscious whimpers. Most of it was incoherent, although I caught the names Roxy and Chase quite a bit.

Finally, hours later, she started to stir. Her eyes opened halfway. Her eyes, once a light blue colour, were now amber. "Vivyanna." I said simply. She raised her head.

"Father." She replied. I hit a button on the remote beside me, and the restraints released her. She slowly climbed out of the chair.

"I have a job for you." I told her. She straight up right away. "I need you to go collect your sister. Preferably alive. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir." She nodded. I smiled.

"Good." It was clear that the MCP14 injection worked. My daughter made no attempt to attack or even to run. She would do just as I asked and not even question why she was doing it. For once, Douglas didn't screw up.

"Vivyanna, there is one other thing." I added.

"Sir?" she asked.

"There will likely be a boy with her, named Chase. You know him?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yes sir, I do." She replied.

"Good. I want you to kill him." I ordered. She nodded and I smirked. The first soldier in my army was ready.


	15. Breaking In

**Marcus' POV**

"What do you mean I'm not coming?" I heard Leo demand. After our little meeting, Davenport had went to fuel up the helicopter. That gave us a few hours break, so we all went to relax. For me, that meant taking a nap just in case we pulled an all-nighter trying to save our girls. Not that I would complain – losing a few hours of sleep was definitely worth making sure they were alright.

But after what seemed to be a couple of minutes, Leo had woken me up with his yelling. I groaned in annoyance. That pipsqueak had such a high-pitched voice! It grated on my eardrums. Why wouldn't he just shut up?

I slowly sat up on the old couch Davenport had pulled out for us. Leo, Adam, and Chase were sitting at the table, arguing.

"Leo, you'll only get yourself killed." Adam reminded him. I yawned and walked into the small kitchen, intending to find out if there was any food in the fridge.

"Let him come." I suggested to Chase, opening the fridge door. I could feel his eyes on my back.

"Do you want him to die?" Chase demanded. I opened my mouth to reply, but he didn't let me. "On second thought, don't answer that."

I smirked, pulled a few things out of the fridge, and turned back to them. I placed the items on the counter. "Look, I don't like Leo. We all know that. But if were going to save Bree and the others, we're going to need all the help we can get, even if that help is Leo. We'll need someone to distract Derek."

"Absolutely not."Adam glared furiously at me. I rolled my eyes.

"Obviously, he'll have some sort of weapon to use against him. As amusing as it would be to watch Leo get his butt kicked by Derek, we actually need him to stand a chance." Adam and Chase were still glaring at me. "Come on! Derek can use our own abilities against us, but Leo's normal. He doesn't have powers for Derek to fight him with."

"Marcus does have a point." Roxanna spoke up. I looked at her, having not realized she was in the room. She walked over to us from the washroom and picked up an apple out of my pile of food. "Guys, we can't fight Derek properly because he can use our own skills against us. But Leo can fight him without having to worry. And it's not as if he'll be alone." She added, noting the looks on Adam and Chase's faces. "One of us will come with him, but only attack if it looks like Leo's in trouble."

"I like that idea." Leo agreed. "But I want Roxanna as my back up."

I suppressed a groan. It was plainly obvious that Leo liked Roxanna. However, it didn't seem like she liked him back, so it was really more amusing than annoying at this point. I couldn't picture Roxanna and Leo as a couple. Then again, I couldn't picture Vivyanna and Chase as a couple either, and they liked each other.

"Did you want to help Leo, Roxy?" Chase asked, starting to relent. She shook her head.

"Sorry Leo, but I have to find my sister." She told him.

"I'll go with him." Adam suggested. We all looked at him, a little surprised. "You guys can find Bree, Mira and Vivyanna and we'll hurt Derek for taking them from us."

I almost volunteered to go with Leo just for the sake of beating Derek to a pulp. He certainly deserved it. But if I couldn't destroy that bastard, then at least Adam would.

"Hey, are we leaving yet?" Alex sped into the room. He hopped up onto a stool across from me, staring at the food with wide eyes. I pushed a couple of oranges and an apple towards him, leaving just an apple for myself.

"Eat up." I told him, rubbing the apple against my shirt. "We're not leaving yet, but we could be any minute."

Roxanna frowned worriedly, but Alex didn't notice. I knew she was worried that Alex shouldn't be coming with us because he was so young, but there was really no point in leaving him behind. Even if we told him that he couldn't come with us, he'd come anyway. I could just imagine him running across the country, trying to follow the helicopter.

"Guys!" Rhyder called, poking his head into the main room. He had a grim, serious look on his face. "The helicopter's all fuelled up. Ready to go?"

**Bree's POV**

"Now, if I were a psychopath, where would I go?" I muttered to myself. I'd only just managed to escape from my cell. There had been so many guards keeping an eye on me earlier, but eventually they dropped to just two. They, apparently bored out their minds, started playing cards in the corner, completely ignoring me. I quickly and quietly picked the lock (a trick Chase taught me). Of course, when I pushed the cell door open, they realized I was escaping, but I quickly knocked them out with a couple of well placed kicks to their heads. I left them on the ground there, not really knowing what to do with them, and made my way into the hall.

I could have tried to escape. My original cell, the one I shared with Marcus and Rhyder, was not far from here. I remembered the hallway we'd taken to the garage where they kept those cars. Even if I didn't steal one of those, I could superspeed out of there in a heartbeat. That's obviously what Vivyanna had in mind when she handed me the knife. I had seen the look of determination in her eyes when she told me to escape. She'd wanted me to get out and go back to my brothers.

But I couldn't just leave her here. Whatever that Krane guy had planned for her, it wasn't good. I could hear her screaming all the way from my cell. Even the guards stopped and looked at the door, a little surprised. She hadn't screamed for that long actually, but it felt like forever.

I wondered what he had done to her and if she was even still alive. I shook my head, trying to erase the thought. Of course she was alive! He wanted her and Roxanna alive, so why would he kill her? She had to be alive then. And there was no way I was going to leave her behind. We may not be the best of friends, but she had been willing to help me escape even if meant her being left in this torture house. I owed her for that. Besides, even if I didn't like her that much, Chase obviously did.

Suddenly, I heard someone coming. I ducked into the nearest room, a storage closet and waited for them to walk away.

"The girl escaped." I heard one of them say. I recognized the source of the voice as Douglas.

"Find her." Maybank that time. "We can't let her escape."

"Right. Krane wants me in the main room. Said we're going to have to make more of the MCP14 injections. He wants to use it on the freaks." Douglas continued. I frowned. What was MCP14?

"Right. You two take the east hall, you take the west one. I'll have Derek take the north one." Maybank ordered. I listened to the sound of retreating footsteps. I was about to open the door when I heard Maybank continue. Damn! He was still there!

"As for you," he continued. "You watch this hall. I doubt she's still here, but just in case. And if you find her, you know what to do."

"Yes sir." My eyes widened in surprise. Was that…no way. No way. No way in hell that was Vivyanna. I heard someone walk away, so I dared to push the door open a crack. I looked through, completely shocked by what I saw.

Vivyanna was standing there, looking around. She was wearing new clothes, the same clothes that the agents were wearing. She had her hand over a gun holster, the black weapon visible from even here.

I could hardly believe it. Vivyanna was no traitor. She had fought those guards as hard as anyone. She had come up with the idea for us to escape. How could she do this?

I backed up, shocked. But I wasn't looking where I was going. I stumbled into a mop, which fell over with a loud bang. I closed my eyes, praying that Vivyanna didn't hear the noise.

"Come out with your hands behind your head." Her voice, steady and emotionless, ordered. I swore under my breath. I quickly stuffed the pocket knife into my pocket and opened the door.

The gun was pointing at me, Vivyanna's gaze unwavering. "Hands behind your head." She ordered again. I did as she asked, frowning. Why would Vivyanna use a gun? I'd seen her fight. She preferred her fire. In fact, I think she loved to use the flames. She wouldn't use something like a gun if she could use her fire.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, trying to understand why she would turn on me so quickly. She just jerked her head towards the hall.

"Back to your cell." She ordered. "You're to stay there until my father says otherwise."

"Wait, you're listening to him now? I thought you despised him!" I demanded. Okay, something was definitely up.

"I follow orders. Now, back to your cell." She pushed me forward. I sidestepped her and swung my leg out, kicking her in the shins. She shot at me with the gun, missing by a few inches. Realizing that she was a bad shot, she dropped the gun and attacked me, her arms catching fire.

I dodged her many swings in, barely avoiding the hot flames. Something struck me as odd. Vivyanna usually put some thought into her attacks. When she fought, it was graceful, almost as if she was dancing. I'd be jealous that she was so good at it. But now…now it was all about power. She didn't pay any attention to how she moved, only focusing on hurting me. It wasn't her style.

"Vivyanna, what the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded, ducking as a fire ball was shot at my head. She glared at me with amber eyes. Wait…amber?

I didn't have long to think about it because she suddenly kicked me backwards. I felt my head connect with the wall, then nothing.

**Marcus' POV**

"This is the Facility?" Leo gasped, staring at it. "It's massive!"

It just around 11 at night when we finally arrived. We, (everyone except for Leo's mom) were standing outside the Facility, ready to do something plain stupid.

"Okay, so here's a map of the Facility." Davenport used my virtual map (the ones Roxy, Vivyanna, Rhyder and I got from Sarah) to show everyone the plan. "We don't know where everyone is, so we're going to have to split up."

"Right. Alex and Rhyder, you guys take the east hall." Chase ordered. "Mr. Davenport and Roxanna are going to take the west. Adam and Leo, you guys take the north. Marcus and I will take the south hall."

"If anyone finds Derek, contact everyone else through the earpieces." Davenport told us. He'd given us new ear pieces earlier. "Do not engage if possible. And contact the others if you find any of the girls."

"Let's go." I looked at Chase, who nodded. We all split up then. Chase and I had it the easiest. For us to enter the Facility, all we had to do was walk in through the emergency exit. Poor Rhyder and Alex had to climb in through a ventilation duct.

"Wait." Chase stopped me once the door was in sight. He quickly scanned the area. "There's a guard behind the door and a camera."

"I'll take the guard if you get the camera." I suggested. Chase nodded, his fingers on his temple. He nodded again a second later.

"I put the camera on a continuous loop. They won't notice anything's wrong." He told me. I smirked, motioned for him to wait, then walked up to the emergency door. I calmly knocked on it.

The guard opened it a second later, his gun pointed at me. I raised my hands as if to surrender, then kicked him where the sun don't shine. He gasped, bending over in pain and I took advantage of it. I grabbed his gun and hit him in the back of the neck with the butt of it.

"We're good!" I called. Chase nodded and used his molecular kinesis to drag the guard into a corner where he wouldn't be seen. "He should be out for a while." I told Chase.

"Let's go then." He stepped into the Facility. I looked around, just to make sure we weren't followed, and then followed him in. He pulled out one of the virtual maps. "There are holding cells not far from here. The girls could be there." He suggested.

"We'll start there then." I agreed. We walked down the hall. To both of our surprise, there weren't many guards in the hall.

"Where is everyone?" Chase questioned.

"I don't know. The last time there were this few guards was when…" I trailed off, a horrible realization hitting me. "The founders."

"What?" Chase questioned, looking at me.

"The founders. They're the guys who run this place. I've never met them, but they occasionally come to check on Maybank's progress with us. Whenever they come for a visit, Maybank has all the guards guarding the cells and the doors, but not patrolling the halls." I explained. "That way, the founders don't have to worry about some idiot getting in their way when they do an inspection."

"And you think the founders are here?" Chase questioned. I nodded reluctantly.

"They would have heard about the escape. They're probably pissed off." I thought about Vivyanna. Her father would be furious with her.

"What are they going to do to them?" Chase asked. I shrugged helplessly.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, I've never met them. They might just make them train harder, maybe withhold food like Roxanna said." I hesitated before adding. "But if anyone's going to get punished, it's going to be Vivyanna."

"Why?" Chase asked. I guess Vivyanna hadn't told him everything about her past.

"Both she and Roxy will kill me for telling you, so don't bring it up unless they do." I warned. He nodded, frowning in confusion. "Their dad's one of the founders."

"What?" Chase demanded, shocked.

"Yeah, I know. The girls hate him, obviously, and they're not proud of being his kids. But he'll be furious. And it's pretty obvious who he's going to take it out on."

"Vivyanna." Chase realized. His pace quickened. "We have to find them. NOW."

"Obviously." I agreed, jogging to keep up with him. He glanced at me.

"So, how do you know about that?" he asked.

"Roxanna told me." I replied. He nodded and I smirked. "What? Were you jealous that I know most of Vivyanna's secrets and you don't?"

"No!" Chase hissed, face turning red. I chuckled.

"She was probably going to tell you eventually." I assured him. "Maybe. She doesn't really open up to many people, but she seems comfortable with you."

"Hm." Chase muttered. He stopped suddenly, looking at the map. "There's a cell on either side." He whispered. "Two guards each."

"First one to find one of the girls gets the guest room at Davenport's warehouse?" I suggested. He smirked and pushed opened the door to his right. I burst through the first, only to be hit in the face by one of the guards.

I sent a green laser at him, burning his shoulder. He cried out in pain. I used my molecular kinesis to raise the second guard off his feet. I sent him flying through the air, knocking both him and his fellow guard into the wall. The slid to the ground with two thuds.

I looked around the room and immediately saw the limp girl on the floor of the cell. I used my lasers to cut open a hole in the bars and ran over to her side.

"Chase!" I called over my shoulder before shaking her shoulders gently. "Bree? Bree, are you okay?"

She let out a soft moan. "Come on Bree, time to wake up." I whispered again. I heard a shout from the other room, but ignored it, all my attention on Bree.

"…Marcus?" she murmured quietly, raising her head slightly. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused, but she seemed to realize that it was me.

"I'm here. You're okay. We're going to get you out of here." I promised her. She groaned.

"My head." She murmured weakly. She looked as if she was going to pass out again. She gripped my sleeve. "Marcus…Vivyanna…something wrong…"

Her eyes slid closed and her head hit the ground softly. I frowned, wondering what she meant. Suddenly, Chase was thrown rather violently into the room. He hit the ground next to me.

"We have a problem." He told me, eyes wide. I noted the redness of his skin around his neck as he rubbed it.

"What sort of…" I trailed off as I saw who walked in after Chase. "Shit."

Chase's attacker was none other than Vivyanna herself.


	16. Fire and Ice

**Chase's POV**

Vivyanna started towards us, fire swirling around her arms menacingly. I just stared at her. What the hell was going on? I expected a thank-you and maybe a smile for coming to save her, but an attack?

Speaking of which, Marcus and I barely had enough time to throw up our force fields as our friend sent a large blast of fire at us. It was explosive, the amount of flames that attacked us. I'd never seen Vivyanna use that much fire power at once.

"Vivyanna? What's wrong with you?" Marcus demanded, crouching next to Bree. She was unconscious, but it looked like she was unhurt.

"Nothing's wrong with me." Vivyanna's voice was cold. I stared at her, then got to my feet. I discreetly activated the comm link so that everyone could hear what's going on.

"Then would you like to tell us why you're trying to kill us, Vivyanna?" I demanded. She shook her head.

"I'm not trying to kill them, just you." She replied. "And I'm just following orders."

" _Chase, what the hell is going on?"_  I heard Roxanna's voice come from the comm link.  _"I'm coming over there."_

"Who's orders?" I kept talking, hoping to distract her long enough for some back up to come. I didn't understand what was going on, but I wasn't about to fight her. One of us would end up getting hurt.

"My father's. He's ordered me to kill you and capture the rest." She said, her voice still emotionless. She stepped towards me, another jet of flames exploding from her hands and flying towards me. I threw my shield up again as the fire intensified, but was forced back a few steps.

"Vivyanna, stop this." Marcus ordered. "Why would you follow his orders? You hate him!"

"Enough talk!" Vivyanna shouted. She brought her hands close together, a ball of fire forming between them. She looked at me, amber eyes focusing. I gulped. If I used my shield against that, the fireball would bounce off and hit her. I wasn't sure if that would hurt her (I figured that she was fireproof), but I didn't want to take the chance. But if I didn't, I would be killed.

I hadn't even made my decision by time she threw it. I threw my hands up, eyes closing shut as I waited for it to hit me. It never did.

I cracked one eye open to see a large, translucent ice wall standing between me and Vivyanna. I glanced around it and saw Roxanna standing behind her sister.

Vivyanna turned around and faced her. "Roxanna!" she greeted, her tone light. Roxanna looked at her warily.

"Your eyes are amber. They're supposed to be blue. Why are they different?" she questioned, hands up in a defensive position. Vivyanna shrugged.

"It's about time you got here, Roxanna. Dad's been waiting." She said, smiling. Marcus and I exchanged glances.

"Her dad?" I whispered. That didn't sound good. Roxanna didn't think so either.

"Dad?" She repeated. She looked over her sister, as if expecting to see some sort of injury. "What's he done to you, Vivy?"

"He just wants us to help him." Vivyanna replied. She didn't even react to her nickname…okay, clearly that girl was not in her right mind. "He wants you back and Chase dead. Can't you just do as your told?"

Roxanna glanced at me. "Why does he want Chase dead?" she questioned. Vivyanna shrugged again.

"He'll interfere with the Triton app." She replied. Marcus and I both froze.

"That's not good. That's not good at all." Marcus muttered. "Your override app can stop it, so he wants to get rid of you, but Adam and Bree will be under his control."

"What about you? Could it control you?" I whispered. Marcus' eyes widened. Clearly, he hadn't thought of that.

"I-I don't know." He hissed back. "But let's not stick around to find out."

He gathered Bree in his arms, laying her head against his shoulder, and stood up. Vivyanna looked back at us, but before she could attack, Roxanna got her attention again.

"Why would you help Dad, Vivy?" Roxanna continued, starting to move around the room. Vivyanna moved with her, never letting anyone get behind her. There was just enough room for one of us to squeeze through the door, but I doubted that we'd be able to escape without getting caught. "Honestly, after everything he's done? He experimented on us, imprisoned us for years! Why would you help him?"

"I have orders." Vivyanna said again. "Now, you have to come with me."

Roxanna raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry Vivy, but that's not gonna happen."

"You have to come with me." Vivyanna insisted. The flames surrounding her arms started to grow, becoming hotter and brighter.

"And who's going to make me?" Roxanna challenged. "You can't beat me, little sister. You know that."

Vivyanna's response was to send a blast of fire at Roxanna's head. Roxanna ducked and ice flew up under Vivyanna. She was caught off guard and slipped, but not before shooting a couple of fire balls at her sister. Roxanna blocked them using an ice shield. She looked at us. "Go!" She shouted, pointing at the door. Marcus nodded and carried Bree out of the room, but I stayed.

Vivyanna payed me no mind and leapt at her sister, tackling her to the ground. Roxanna let out a cry of pain as Vivyanna's still fiery arms held her to the ground. I silently apologized for my actions before hitting the fiery girl with a plasma ball. Vivyanna fell off her sister and hit the ground, but was up again in an instant. I pulled Roxanna to her feet.

"You okay?" I asked, glancing at her red arms. She winced, looking at them.

"Hopefully it wasn't that bad of a burn." She muttered. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Chase!" She jumped on me, forcing both of us to the ground as a blast of fire flew over our heads.

"Thanks!" I called before sending another plasma ball at Vivyanna. She dodged it easily and started towards us.

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous!" Roxanna muttered. She threw her arms out and a wave of ice burst from the ground. Vivyanna had to jump back to avoid being hit by the icy spikes.

"Roxanna, stop this. Just come with me, and we don't have to fight." Vivyanna said, too calmly. "Chase is the only one that needs to die."

"Sorry, Vivy, but no one's going to die here today." Roxanna sent another wave of ice at Vivyanna.

"I have orders to take you in and kill the boy. I WILL follow those orders." Vivyanna declared. Before Roxanna could question it, Vivyanna rushed at her, fire balls flying at her. She blocked them with her ice, backing up as she did so. Vivyanna took advantage of this and shot a fire ball at the ceiling. The ceiling cracked upon impact, and started to collapse.

"Oh, crap!" Roxanna muttered. We both tried to defend ourselves, me with my force field and her with her ice shield. The broken pieces of the ceiling bounced off my force field harmlessly. But a large chunk broke through Roxanna's ice and hit her to the ground.

"Roxanna!" I shouted. She groaned, but didn't get up. I couldn't tell if she was conscious or not. Before I could go to help her though, Vivyanna started to attack me. She sent a jet of fire at me and I had to jump to avoid it, catching the side of my forehead on one of the icy spikes left over from Roxanna's fight. Suddenly, she leapt at me and pushed me into a wall and held me there with her hand.

"I have to kill you." She murmured. Not taking her eyes off mine, she reached behind her with her spare hand and grabbed the top of one of the icy spikes. She broke a large part off, about the size of a large knife, and held it so that the sharp end was pointing towards me.

I gulped nervously. "Vivyanna, you don't have to do this. Whatever your father did to you, this isn't right. This isn't you!" I tried to convince her to stop. "Come on, Vivyanna! Fight it!"

She pulled her arm back, the icy knife pointed at my neck. She brought the knife forward and…and stopped.

I stared at her and she glared at me, but she didn't bring the knife down into my neck. Her hand was shaking violently, and there was conflict in her blue/amber eyes. "Vivyanna?" I breathed hopefully. She brought the knife back and tried to stab me again. Once again, the icy knife stopped, only an inch away from my neck. "Come on, Vivy….fight it." I whispered.

Before either of us could do something, she suddenly collapsed to the ground. Behind her was Roxanna. She was holding what looked like a large club made of ice. There was a guilty, apologetic look on her face.

"She's not going to happy with me when she wakes up, is she?" She guessed. I glanced down at Vivyanna and shook my head.

"No. No, she's not." I agreed, stepped forward from the wall. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'll be fine." She replied. She glanced at me. "What about you? That looks like a nasty cut."

I touched my forehead and grimaced at the stickiness. "Is it that bad?" I asked. She frowned and looked at it.

"Probably not. Head wounds tend to bleed a lot more than normal, so it might not actually be that bad. Still, I'm guessing a couple of stitches might be necessary."

"Wonderful." I muttered. I knelt down to make sure Vivyanna was okay. "You call the guys, tell them we have her."

"Right." Roxanna agreed. She activated her comm link. "Hey guys? Chase and I've got Vivyanna, and Marcus has Bree. Has anyone seen Mira yet?"

I could hear their negative responses through my own comm link.  _"No, not yet."_  That was Marcus.

"Is Bree alright?" I asked him.

" _Yeah, I think so. She'll probably wake up any minute now."_  Marcus assured me.  _"But I brought her back to the helicopter, just to be sure."_

"Good idea. We'll meet you-" I was cut off by Leo's high pitched voice.

" _Yeah, I hate to break up your little discussion guys, but I have a little problem."_ He announced.

" _What sort of problem?"_  Mr. Davenport questioned.

" _I FOUND DEREK!"_  Leo shouted at the top of his lungs.


	17. Leo's Fight

**Leo's POV**

Adam and I had split off when we entered the building, intending to cover more ground. In my opinion, that was one of my worse ideas. I had started checking random rooms, looking for Bree and those two other girls. Instead, I found a large cell. There was a young girl on the inside, younger than me. But I was more focused on the guy outside the cell.

He was a tall guy, around Adam's age if I had to guess, with short black hair and a cruel smirk on his face. His cold brown eyes looked me over as if I was some sort of unwanted pest.

"Well, it seems like you have a visitor, Mira." He commented. I reached into my weapon holster (yes, Big D let me have one), pulled out a high powered blaster and pointed it at the guy.

"You want to get out of my way?" I suggested, not really wanting to attack anyone. But this guy seemed different than the guards I'd hidden from earlier. He seemed more…dangerous. He had a sadistic vibe to him that sent shivers down my spine.

"Let me guess, you're friends with those freaks Adam, Bree, and Chase." The guy guessed, a light in his eyes.

"And what if I am?" I challenged, clutching the blaster tightly. The guy chuckled.

"Well, any friend of theirs is an enemy of mine. So, what can you do? Fly?" I frowned before realizing exactly who was in front of me.

"You're Derek." I realized. That was why he was asking me what powers I had. He wanted to know what he could steal from me. I almost smirked; this guy was so reliant on stealing other people's powers, he probably didn't know how to fight without them.

"I see my reputation proceeds me then." He laughed. It was a cold, heartless laugh. The girl sitting in the cell behind him – Mira, I think – looked at me with large, tear filled eyes.

"Run." She mouthed at me. I didn't reply, nor did I move. This Derek, he had hurt my brothers and sister. He was not going to get away with that.

"Well, Derek, I'm going to give you a choice. Walk away, and let me leave with Mira, Vivyanna, and Bree, or I'll shoot you." I meant it. Derek spread his arms out, a confident smirk on his face.

"Bring it on, little man." He taunted. I didn't need a better reason. I squeezed the trigger, a blast of blue light exploding from the blaster and heading towards Derek. He dodged to the side at the last moment before lunging at me, grabbing me by the throat and holding me against the wall. My feet couldn't even touch the ground.

"You're powerless." Derek sounded absolutely disgusted by that fact. "You're powerless and you still challenged me? What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing." I replied. Derek, in his anger, hadn't disarmed me. I pressed the blaster against his stomach and blasted him again. This time, it knocked him back. He hit the bars of Mira's cell with a groan. He slowly got to his feet, glaring furiously at me. I could hear my comm link on, Marcus and Chase talking about Bree. I was relieved to hear that my sister was okay, but I couldn't let that distract me from the task at hand. Speaking of which…

"You little punk!" Derek swore, charging at me. Any idea I had about him being a terrible fighter without his powers went out the door. He leapt in the air, kicking me in the ribs, then back fisting me in the face as he touched back down on the ground. I stumbled back and wiped some of the blood away from my now broken nose. Okay, time to call for back up.

"I hate to break up your guys little discussion, but I have a problem." I told the others using the comm link, as I turned around and started to run down the hallway.

" _What sort of problem, Leo?"_ Big D questioned.

Derek leapt at me again, pinning me to the ground. I swung at his head, only to have my hand forced back against the ground.

"I FOUND DEREK!" I screamed into the comm link. Suddenly, the comm link was ripped from my ear and thrown across the hall. As was my blaster.

"Let's see you call for help now." Derek sneered, his fist going back as he prepared to punch me again. I managed to catch it in my spare hand and I kicked him in the abdomen. The shock and pain of the blow was enough for me to get free. I kicked him again and ran back into the cell where Mira sat. She looked surprised that I came back for her.

"You should leave before he gets back." She told me. I grabbed the keys off the table (Derek had been careless enough to leave them there) and started fumbling for the right one. I looked over my shoulder to make sure Derek wasn't right behind me.

"No one left behind." I told Mira, shoving the correct key into the key hole. Then she said something that made me stop.

"But I was the one who told them how to find us" she protested. I froze, staring at her.

"What?" I questioned, shocked. This little girl was the traitor everyone had been talking about? She nodded and looked down.

"I messed up. They made me a promise, then they broke it. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. This is all my fault." She told me. It took me a second to figure out what to say.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." I told her. I was about to turn the key when her eyes widened and she pointed past me. In a heart beat, I pulled out my spare blaster and spun around to face Derek. I managed to dodge his blow and point the blaster at him. But my aim was off and it missed him by several inches. He swept his leg out at me, knocking me off my feet. The blaster tumbled out of my hands.

Before I could reach for it, Derek was dragging me out of the room. He threw me against the wall hard, the wind being knocked out of me. He pulled out a couple of knives and examined one in his hand, eyes on me. I tried to get away, but the force of Derek's last attack left me winded and I could hardly move.

"You're tough kid, I'll give you that. But it's time to end this." He held the knife in one hand and looked at me, clearly decided where he wanted it to hit me. His eyes rested on my chest. I gulped nervously, knowing that I wouldn't be able to get away. I wanted to shut my eyes, to pretend that this wasn't happening, but I forced them to stay open. I looked for Mira, trying to give her a reassuring smile so the little girl wouldn't be scared, but she wasn't in her cell.

Suddenly, a loud, excruciating screech exploded in my ears. I bit back a pained cry and clutched them tight. Luckily for me, the scream wasn't only affecting me. Derek dropped the knife he was holding to grab at his ears as well.

The screaming ended as suddenly as it began and Mira was suddenly pulling me up by the arm. "Let's go!" she exclaimed. But before we could get far, Derek was back on his feet.

"I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance, brat." He spat, picking his knife up. Mira grabbed my hand as a warning, but I didn't need it this time. The second she opened her mouth to scream, my hands were on my ears, protecting them from that horrible sound.

Suddenly, the world started to rumble. Well, the ceiling was. I realized that the sound vibrations from Mira's scream were causing damage to the room around us. Sure enough, cracks soon appeared in the ceiling. Derek seemed to realize this as well.

"SHUT UP!" I could barely hear his shout over the high-pitched screaming. But I did see him grip the knife, extend his arm and throw it.

"NO!" I tried to stop it. I tried to push her out of the way, not even caring how badly Mira's scream was tearing my ears apart. But it was too late. Mira let out a small, startled gasp as the knife entered her ribcage and stumbled back. I caught the younger girl in my arms as she clutched at the injury.

"Take that, bitch." Derek sneered. He got to his feet. "Now, as for you loser."

I laid Mira on the ground as gently as I could, and dived towards my blaster. Derek was already picking up another knife, but I didn't want to give him the chance to throw it. I didn't aim y blaster at him, instead choosing the already weak ceiling as my target. I pressed the trigger down as hard as I could and watched as the laser flew at the ceiling. It hit a large crack dead on, and it collapsed.

I threw my arms up over my face to shield myself as the ceiling dropped. Dust and bits of debris flew everywhere. After a few seconds, I slowly lowered my hands. Right where Derek had been standing seconds ago was a massive pile of rubble. A limp, pale hand was visible between the large pieces.

I briefly thought back to Marcus and how we left him just like this. Somehow though, I didn't think that anyone would really miss Derek. But then, a pained cry dragged me out of my thoughts.

"Mira!" I exclaimed, rushing back over to the girl. I lifted her into my lap as she took deep, gasping breaths. I placed my hand over the wound, trying to ignore the steady flow of blood pouring from it. "Mira, you're going to be okay. You're going to be fine." I assured the little girl.

_No she's not_. I thought to myself. Judging by the amount of blood and liquid, and by the way she couldn't seem to get enough air, I guessed that she had punctured a lung. And there was no way to get her medical attention in time.

"I'm going to get my comm link," I didn't realize I was still talking "and I'm going to call Big D and he's going to fix you up."

"No!" Mira gasped out, gripping my sleeve as I went to go. She coughed weakly, red staining her lips. "Ple-please…"

"Yeah?" I lowered my head so she could whisper in my ear.

"I'm…I'm sorry. For bet-betraying them…" She whispered. I nodded.

"I'll tell them." I promised. She nodded, her body beginning to relax and her eye lids fluttering. "Mira, stay with me."

Her eyes opened again glancing up at me. "You saved my life." I told her, trying to keep her awake. "You're a hero."

"Hero…" she murmured, eyes shutting.

"Mira. Mira!" I exclaimed, trying to rouse her. I shook her shoulder, but she didn't reply. I watched helplessly as her chest failed to rise again, as she failed to draw in another breath.

I closed my eyes, feeling terrible. I hadn't known Mira. An hour ago, I didn't even know her name. But her death was like a slap in the face. I'd never seen anyone die before, at least not like this. I'd never seen the life drain out of someone until they just weren't…alive anymore. And watching her life, the life of a little girl, end like that…it wasn't a good sight.

No one was supposed to die today. No one. Suddenly, I was very acutely aware of how close we'd all come to dying. Taking a deep breath, I lay Mira back on the ground and slowly made my way over to where my comm link lay discarded.

The second I put it back on, I could hear my family desperately calling my name, Adam telling everyone that he was trying to find me.

"Guys." I said in a strangely calm voice. Everyone stopped.

" _Leo, are you okay?"_  That was Roxanna.

"Derek's dead." I said in the same emotionless tone.

" _What?"_  Rhyder gasped, disbelief in his voice.  _"You killed him?"_

" _Way to go, Leo!" "Nice job!" "Thank God you're okay!"_  I heard them all shout. I waited for them to calm down.

"Guys." I said again, my voice cracking ever so slightly. They knew Mira better. This would be harder for them.

" _What's wrong?"_  Chase picked up on my mood immediately.  _"Leo, what's wrong? Are you okay?"_

"Guys," I closed my eyes, not wanting to say it but knowing I had to. "Mira's dead."

Stunned silence filled the air. It was several moments before anyone could speak.  _"Dead?"_  Adam whispered, shock and horror in his voice. I remembered what Roxanna told me about how close they'd gotten, how Adam adored the little girl like a baby sister.

"She's gone." I confirmed.

" _How?"_  Rhyder demanded. There was a fury in his voice, the same fury I was sure everyone was feeling.

"Derek killed her because…because she saved my life." I told them. I wouldn't tell them how she betrayed them. I couldn't do that. "I couldn't save her."

Another long period of silence, then Roxanna spoke. "It's not your fault, Leo. You want to know who's fault it is?" She questioned. She continued, not giving me the chance to answer. "It's the Founders. They kidnapped her and brought her here. They were the ones who held her prisoner in this hellhole. This is their fault. EVERYTHING we've been through is their fault."

"They can't get away with this." Marcus decided. For once, I agreed with him.

"Payback time." I decided. "For Mira."

"For Mira." Roxanna agreed. "We're taking them down and we're not going to let them get away."

There were many murmurs of agreement. I looked down at Mira's body. I couldn't take her with me, but I would come back for her. I pulled off my jacket and lay it on her, as a sign of respect. I picked up my blaster and took one last look at the pile of rubble on top of Derek's body, and walked away. Somehow, I knew that this was it. This fight between us and the Founders was going to be the end. Hopefully, not for us, but for them.


	18. The Beginning of the End

**Chase's POV**

" _Guys."_  Leo's voice sounded rough and pained over the comm link. I could tell immediately what something was wrong, but waited for him to explain. I wasn't prepared when he gave us the terrible news.  _"Mira's dead."_

Roxanna gasped, her hands over her mouth. I blinked, shocked. Mira, dead? The poor, poor girl. She seemed much too young to die, too innocent. How could this have happened to her.

" _Dead?"_  Adam sounded as horrified as I felt.

" _She's gone."_  Leo confirmed, grief in his voice.

" _How?"_  Rhyder growled, fuming.

" _Derek killed her because…"_ Leo gulped.  _"…because she saved my life. I couldn't save her."_

I looked down at the ground, furious. I hated Derek before, but this crossed the line. But at least Leo made him pay. Now he couldn't hurt anyone ever again. Suddenly, Roxanna took the comm link out of my hands. She offered me a sad smile before speaking for everyone to hear.

"It's not your fault, Leo. You want to know who's fault it is?" Despite the tears in her eyes, Roxanna sounded more angry than sad. "It's the Founders. They kidnapped her and brought her here. They were the ones who held her prisoner in this hellhole. This is their fault. EVERYTHING we've been through is their fault."

I nodded my agreement. Everything she said was true. The Founders had put us all through hell. They had tortured us, shot at us. They kidnapped our friends, were the reason behind Mira's death, and brainwashed Vivyanna into trying to kill us. They needed to pay for what they've done. Apparently, I wasn't the only one thinking along that line.

" _They can't get away with this."_ Marcus decided.

" _Payback time. For Mira."_  Leo agreed. Roxanna and I both nodded.

"For Mira." Roxanna agreed. "We're taking them down and we're not going to let them get away."

"Agreed." I nodded. I took the comm link from Roxanna. "Everyone, use the trackers on the comm links and meet at my position. Unless you're hurt, Leo?" I added, concerned. I had to make sure that my brother was okay before asking him to get into a fight with these Founders.

" _I'm fine."_  He assured me.

" _I'm ready to fight too."_  I couldn't help but smile at the sound of my sister's voice.

"Bree, you're okay!" I exclaimed.

" _Yeah, I'm okay."_ She assured me.  _"You guys see Vivyanna yet?"_

I glanced over my shoulder. Roxanna and I had left the room after hearing Leo scream Derek's name, leaving Vivyanna lying in there. We weren't really sure if moving her was a good idea, in case Roxanna had hurt her more than we thought. In the end, we just ended up folding up our jackets and placing them under her head like a pillow.

"Uh, yeah. She might not be too happy with us when she wakes up." Roxanna smiled guiltily at my words.

" _Should we ask what you're talking about, or is this one of those things where we don't want to know?"_  Rhyder questioned.

"Just a little sibling squabble, nothing to worry about." Roxanna chuckled nervously.

" _Oh, those are fun!"_ Adam exclaimed. I chuckled, remembering all our past fights.

"Just get over here." I ordered before putting away the comm link. Roxanna nodded at me before heading into the other room. I followed her, but stopped at the door when I saw Vivyanna.

No longer unconscious, she sat on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest. She was staring at the ground, not even glancing our way as we walked in. "You're awake." I noted loudly, hoping to get her attention. Roxanna and I both stood apart from her, still wary. For all we knew, she was preparing to attack us.

She nodded, refusing to look at us. She was silent for a moment then, in a voice that seemed almost too small to belong to her "I'm sorry."

Roxanna started towards the girl, but I stopped her. I'd never seen Vivyanna like this. She looked…vulnerable, fragile, as if the smallest comment could destroy her. This was nothing like she usually was, but I couldn't take the chance of this being a trick.

"Vivyanna," I said slowly. "Look at me."

She raised her head and did as I asked. Her eyes were wide and full of guilt. But most importantly, they were bright blue, not a hint of amber or any other colour in them at all. Now I was certain that I was talking to my Vivyanna.

"I'm so, so sorry." She said again, her voice pleading. "I…I can't believe I just…"

"Vivyanna." I started, but she continued, ignoring me.

"I…I wasn't thinking right. Those thoughts, the things I did, that wasn't me." She rambled on.

"Vivyanna." Again, I was ignored.

"Well, technically it was me, but I wouldn't do that. I could see what I was doing, but I just couldn't stop myself and-"

"VIVYANNA!" I exclaimed, cutting her off. She winced at the loudness of my voice, but stopped talking. "Calm down. No one's mad at you."

She looked back down at the ground. "What happened to you?" Roxanna asked, confused. Vivyanna sighed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Dad. He gave me some sort of injection and when I woke up, it was like I had no control." She explained. Roxanna sighed.

"Dad. It's always Dad." She muttered under her breath. She looked at her sister and smiled sympathetically. "But you're good now, right? You're not under his control anymore?"

Vivyanna chuckled darkly. "I doubt we'd be having a civil conversation like this is he was still in control."

I smirked. Now THAT sounded like Vivyanna. "But how'd you manage to get back in control?" I questioned. If she could fight it, maybe we could fight the Triton app.

"I'm not sure." Vivyanna frowned, then looked pointedly at her sister. "Maybe it has something to do with the frozen bowling ball that was thrown at my head."

Roxanna smirked guiltily. "Okay. One, it was a frozen club, not a frozen bowling ball. Get your weapons straight." Even Vivyanna smirked at that. "And two, it's called cognitive recalibration. You're welcome."

Vivyanna and I both looked at her, then at each other. "And I'm the messed up one?" she questioned. I smirked, then offered her my hand. She accepted it and I helped her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She didn't answer, instead looking up at the cut on my forehead. There was a lot of guilt and regret in her eyes.

"I'm going to go wait for the others and keep an eye out for more guards, okay?" Roxanna said suddenly, looking at the two of us. "You guys…talk."

She practically sprinted for the door, leaving Vivyanna and I alone. She was still looking at the cut. "Hey," I said softly.

"Chase…" she trailed off.

"It wasn't your fault." I told her sternly, hoping to get the message across. She sighed.

"I tried to kill you! I nearly did!" She exclaimed, clearly upset.

"But you didn't." I pointed out. "In fact, you managed to stop yourself when you had a knife to my neck."

Vivyanna considered that. "Yeah." She nodded. "I did, didn't I?"

I nodded, glad to see her spirits starting to rise. "Yes you did. But how?"

"I don't know." Vivyanna sounded amazed. "I just…I just couldn't do it."

I smiled at that. "You're not a murderer." I agreed. She nodded, then her eyes widened.

"Oh, crap." She muttered. She looked at me. "Bree."

"She's okay." I assured her. She nodded, looking relieved. "Why? Were you the one that attacked her?"

"Yeah. I'm glad she's okay though. We may not be best friends, but I'd still feel pretty guilt if I'd killed her."

I sighed. She didn't know the bad news. "Vivy…"

"Don't call me that." She snapped. "And what's the matter?"

"Mira…" her face darkened. "she's dead."

"Dead? Who killed her?" She questioned.

"Derek." I replied before quickly adding, "And Leo killed him."

Vivyanna nodded. "Yeah, good. Bastard deserved to die."

I couldn't help but agree. "Yeah, he did." I agreed. Suddenly, something occurred to me.

"Vivyanna, do you know how they found us?" I asked. She hesitated. "You do, don't you?"

"There…My father," she almost spat in disgust, "told me that they hit one of our jackets with a tracker. I think it was either mine, Mira's or Bree's because they couldn't find you guys."

"Right, well, we should all toss the jackets after this." I decided. She smirked.

"I plan on burning mine. You know, to get destroy any reminders of this place." She commented. I smiled.

"Maybe you could do mine too." I suggested. She laughed.

"Sounds fun." She agreed. Suddenly, she sighed. "Hey Chase?"

"Yeah?" I asked. She smiled at me.

"Thank you." She told me, dead serious. Before I could question what for, she continued. "For…well, everything. None of us would have even gotten a chance at freedom without you guys. And for not trying to kill me when I attacked you."

"Nah, I think your plan would have worked without us." I brushed it off. "And I couldn't just try to kill someone I care about!"

Vivyanna looked at me. "You care about me?" she questioned, sounding a little surprised. I almost laughed.

"Yes Vivyanna. It's actually possible for someone to care about you." I told her. She rolled her eyes at my teasing.

"It's just…I'm kinda…" She trailed off. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Stubborn, dark, cynical, aggressive?" I listed off. She smirked.

"Well, I was going to say difficult, but those work too." She agreed. I chuckled.

"Yeah well, maybe I like difficult girls." I commented. Suddenly, I realized just how close we were standing and I finally figured out why Roxanna decided to give us some privacy. I stepped closer to her, about to-

"Vivyanna!" Alex chose that moment to interrupt. He practically tackled Vivyanna in a hug, grinning all the while. "You're okay!"

Vivyanna laughed lightly, looking at me with flushed cheeks. I stepped back, embarrassed. I really had the worst timing for this sort of thing.

"I'm fine, Alex." Vivyanna assured the younger boy. She knelt down and looked him over for injuries. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He nodded quickly. "Rhyder and I ran into a few guards, but we took them out. They're tied up in a closet on the other side of the building."

"Way to go, Quicky!" They bumped fists as Rhyder strolled in. He looked at me, then at Vivyanna and seemed to realize that something happened.

"Are we interrupting something?" he guessed, an amused light in his eyes. I shook my head.

"What would you be interrupting?" I countered. He just chuckled to himself, then looked around the room. There were still a dozen large ice spikes from the earlier fight.

"Some sibling squabble." He commented. He looked over his shoulder as Adam and Leo made their way into the room. "Hey Adam, you guys don't fight like this, do you?"

"Sometimes." Adam nodded at me, smiling when he saw I was okay. I nodded back, then looked at Leo. He definitely looked like he'd been in a fight. Even after a 'friendly conversation' with Trent, he didn't look this bad. But that was to be expected after getting into a fight with Derek.

"You good?" I questioned. He nodded solemnly.

"I can't believe he killed Mira." He muttered. I nodded sympathetically. Leo looked at Vivyanna. "So you're Roxy's sister?"

"Vivyanna, yeah." She nodded at him. He smirked.

"You're sister's hot." He commented. I nearly face-palmed.

"O…kay?" Vivyanna glanced at me for an explanation, but I just shrugged. "So, who are we waiting for?"

"No one." We turned to see Bree walking in. Marcus, Roxy, and Mr. Davenport were right behind him.

"Bree, thank God you're okay." Adam sighed in relief. Bree nodded and glanced at Vivyanna. Their eyes locked for a moment and a silent conversation seemed to go one between them. Eventually, Bree sighed.

"You look like crap." She commented. Vivyanna shrugged.

"No argument there." She replied before turning to me. "So, what's the plan Chase?"

I sighed. "We take out the Founders. One of them is…um…" I trailed off. I wasn't sure if the sisters wanted the others to know about their Dad. Roxanna stepped in.

"Our father, Victor Krane." She explained. Alex frowned.

"Wait, your dad is evil?" he questioned. Vivyanna sighed and ruffled his hair.

"Everyone's dad is evil, Quicky." She replied. She glanced at Mr. Davenport. "Er, no offense."

"None taken." He shrugged. "But your father, how strong is he?"

"As powerful as he is crazy." Roxanna replied, crossing her arms. "Which is to say, a LOT."

"What about the other one?" Rhyder asked. Bree sighed.

"Yeah about that…" She sighed. "It's Douglas."

We stared at her. "What?" Marcus growled out, eyes flashing the same green they did when he would use his laser vision.

"The guy that left Marcus to die? Your dad?" Rhyder demanded. Bree nodded. Rhyder sighed, then glanced at Marcus. "I'm guessing that you want him all to yourself?"

Marcus thought about it. "No. If he's really one of those monsters, then we all get a shot at him. Besides, he's stronger than you think. He may not be super-powered, but he's got hundreds of deadly inventions, including a fully functional exo-suit."

"And he's crazy." Adam added.

"Yeah, that too." Marcus agreed. I nodded.

"Alright, we split up again then. In teams of two. And everyone has a comm in their ear at all times." I decided. Mr. Davenport reached into his pocket at pulled out two comm links. He handed them to Vivyanna and Bree.

"Thanks." Bree smiled at him while Vivyanna merely nodded.

"Alright, who goes with who?" Leo questioned.

"I'm going after Douglas." Marcus stated, his tone leaving no room for discussion. Bree nodded.

"Me too." She smiled, taking Marcus' hand. Everyone looked at her, even Marcus, clearly surprised. But no one decided to say anything about it.

"Our father is ours." Roxanna decided, speaking for both her and her sister.

"I'll go with you." I offered. Vivyanna smiled at me.

"Thanks." She murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Well, I'm going to go with Roxy." Leo declared. Roxanna rolled her eyes.

"Okay, after all this is done, you and I are going to have a little talk about boundaries." She commented. He just smirked.

"I'll go with Marcus and Bree to take care of my brother." Mr. Davenport decided. Vivyanna looked at Alex, who was still standing right next to her.

"You're going with them too." She ordered. He pouted.

"Why? I want to go with you and Chase!" He complained.

"My father's more dangerous and we've already lost Mira. I'm not going to lose you too, kid." She told him. She looked at Marcus. "Take care of him?"

"He'll be okay." Marcus promised. Adam grinned.

"I'll keep an eye one him for you, Vivy." He offered. Vivyanna gave him the death glare.

"Stop calling me that." She complained. Rhyder chuckled.

"It's not that bad of a nickname." He told her. "And since you guys only have four, I guess I'm with you."

"Good. So, let's not waste any time shall we?" I decided. "The more we hesitate, the more likely we'll realize how suicidal this is and decide to leave."

"Wow, that's real encouraging Chase." Vivyanna commented. I rolled my eyes and looked at Adam, Bree, and Mr. Davenport before they left.

"Be careful." I told them. Mr. Davenport nodded.

"You too. All of you." He added, looking at our group. "Take care of each other."

"We will." Leo promised. Mr. Davenport nodded and led his group out the door. Every single one of them, even Marcus looked back before leaving. I could tell we were all wondering the same thing: how many of us would survive this battle?


	19. Facing Douglas

**Marcus' POV**

We strode through the Facility, heads held high. I never thought that something like this would happen, never thought that anyone of us would actually be able to stand strong again. To be completely honest, I always figured that we'd be prisoners here until the day we died. But that was not going to happen.

I glanced at the other people by my side. Adam, Bree, and Donald Davenport were to my left – yet another surprise I'd never actually considered. Who'd have thought I'd ever be working along side any of them, let alone start to have feelings for Bree Davenport. It was a surprise, but not necessarily a bad one.

To my right was Alex. He was the one I was really worried about. After Mira's death, he was the youngest member of the group. Even I'd grown to like him over time and I didn't want to see him hurt.

"Hey Quicky," I began, only to be cut off by the younger boy.

"I'm not keeping watch for guards, if that's what you're going to suggest." Alex said quickly. I glanced at him, surprised by the determination in his tone. "I know Vivy asked you to look after me, but I want to fight."

I hesitated. "Mira was my friend too." He murmured softly. I sighed. I should have known that his determination was fuelled by his grief for Mira.

"Alright, but no unnecessary risks." I ordered. He nodded.

"Yes Captain Eyebrows!" He exclaimed. We all looked at him. "What? Leo said it was your nickname."

"That little twerp is SO dead." I muttered. Bree laughed softly and smiled at me.

"So, where's Douglas?" she asked. I hesitated and looked along the hall. It was empty, all the agents gone. I had no idea where they were – probably guarding Douglas and Krane.

"Left or right?" I asked, pointing. Bree didn't answer, instead speeding down the hall to the left, then to the right, checking the rooms. She was back a half second later. "He's in the third room to the left. About twenty agents are with him."

I smiled. "Good work." I glanced at the group. "Everyone ready?"

There was hesitation, but everyone nodded. I could understand their hesitation – I wasn't sure if I was ready for this either – but it was now or never.

"Let's go. Davenport and Quicky, you two take out the guards. Adam, Bree, and I'll take out Douglas. Let's go."

I led the group to the door and flung it open. We were greeted by all twenty agents, their tranquilizer guns pointed at us. Douglas stood in the middle, wearing his massive, deadly exo-suit. Although Douglas was a relatively short man, the exo-suit gave him at least another half foot in height.

"Donny, good to see you. Not that I'm surprised; I knew you'd come here and bring the other kids with you." Douglas greeted. Davenport gritted his teeth together angrily.

"This has gone too far, Douglas. A little girl was murdered." He said. Douglas nodded.

"I know. She would have been a great soldier later on." He replied.

"Is that all you care about? Soldiers?" Adam growled, eyes glowing red. Alex sighed loudly.

"Enough talk!" He exclaimed, rushing forward. And that was all we needed to begin the fight. I leapt at the nearest agent, disarming him quickly. He took a swing at my head, but I was too quick for him. I kicked him in the ribs and sent him flying back several feet.

There was a sudden blow to my back, knocking me to the ground. On instinct, I kicked my legs out, taking the agent down with me. I spun around just as he was reaching for his weapon.

"Not gonna happen." I commented, reaching for it. I pulled the trigger and a small dart flew out from the gun and hit the agent in the shoulder. He tried to grab at his weapon one last time, but was out within seconds. I smirked. "Pleasant dreams, scumbag."

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound by my ear. I ducked to the side just in time to avoid being hit by a tranquilizer dart, then spun around to face my newest attacker. I didn't get the chance to attack him though.

There was a large blast of red light and the agent fell to the ground. Davenport stood behind him, a blaster in his hands. I nodded gratefully at him, then turned around, looking for Douglas.

The room was full of fighting people. I could see Adam taking on two agents at once, while Davenport was shooting them down one at a time. Alex practically danced around her opponents, taking full advantage of his unmatchable speed. Bree…Where was Bree?

"You monster!" I heard her shout. My head whipped towards the sound of her angry outburst and saw her and Douglas circling each other at the other end of the hall.

I ducked under another tranquilizing dart, taking out this agent with a quick blast of my laser vision, and continued fighting to get to them. Bree couldn't take Douglas on alone – his exo-suit gave him the same abilities as us bionic superhumans. It would be like asking her to fight Adam, Chase, and myself at the same time.

As if on queue, Douglas sent a blast of laser vision from the exo's helmet at her. She ducked to the side, only barely managing to avoid a second blast by rolling out of the way. But the third blast hit her in the stomach, knocking her off her feet.

"Bree!" I exclaimed, speeding forward. I grabbed her arm, helping her up. "You good?"

"So good." She growled, glaring at Douglas. He smirked.

"Since when did you two get so cozy?" he teased. Bree glared at him, then sped at him. He raised his hand, a plasma grenade exploding from the exo's glove. I countered quickly, throwing a plasma grenade at the plasma grenade. They hit each other, causing a minor midair explosion, and Bree was free to continue her attack.

She hit Douglas in the stomach, knocking him backwards. But the blow didn't stop him. He glared at her, then threw his arms out. A large energy blast flew out from him, hitting everyone in the room. I was sent flying back several feet, into another agent. My head hit the ground, causing the room to spin.

"Marcus!" I blinked a couple of times to clear my vision, my head pounding. Adam was standing above me, his hand outstretched. I took it and he helped me to my feet. I looked around me in confusion as to why the fighting had stopped. Apparently, while I'd been occupied with fighting Douglas and trying to keep Bree safe, the others had taken out the rest of the agents. All twenty of them were on the ground, either unconscious or dead. I was about to grin triumphantly when I saw Adam's face go pale. I spun around to see what he was looking at. I froze, eyes widening.

"Bree." I muttered. Douglas held her in mid air using his molecular kinesis. She was clutching at her throat, gasping for air.

"I don't want to hurt her." Douglas warned. "She's a decent fighter and she can be useful. But if the three of you don't surrender, I'll kill her."

I looked over my shoulder. Davenport stood behind us, holding a tranquilizer gun rather than his blaster. I didn't know what had happened to it, but I didn't focus on it's disappearance for long. Adam stood beside me, looking at Douglas with a mixture of pure rage and hurt in his eyes.

I looked back at the man I once called 'father' glaring at him. We couldn't give up. This was our one chance to defeat him. But he said that if the three of us didn't do as he said, he'd kill her.

Then I saw it. The tiniest bit of movement in the shadows behind him. I frowned in confusion, then realization hit me. We still had a chance. I sighed, pretending to surrender.

"Alright. You win. The three of us surrender." I said, forcing the pained look onto my face and putting my hands behind my head. I glanced back at Davenport and Adam, gesturing for them to do the same.

"But-" Adam started to protest, but Davenport cut him off.

"Just do it, Adam." He ordered, giving me a look that told me he was on the same page as me.

"Fine." Adam muttered, raising his hands. Bree glared at us as Douglas' grip loosened every so slightly.

"What are you doing?" she rasped, finally able to breath again. I smiled at her.

"Bree, it's okay." I assured her. Douglas smirked triumphantly and Bree looked at me, a defeated look on her face. I almost laughed. The only reason they had those expressions of their faces was because they couldn't see what I could.

"Oh, but Douglas?" I called. He looked at me. "The three of us surrendered because you have Bree, but there's something you should probably know."

"And what's that?" he demanded. I smirked.

"There are five of us."

Douglas looked momentarily confused, then let out a sudden cry of the pain. He spun around as he spun to face his new attacker, dropping Bree in his confusion. She spun around midair, landed on her feet like a cat would, and grinned at the small boy standing behind Douglas.

Alex had a proud smirk on his face, Davenport's blaster held in his hands. "You little-" Douglas started to shout, only to get shot at again. I knew that the blaster would have little effect – the exo-sui protected Douglas pretty well – so I took advantage of the distraction and shot my lasers at the exo. I wasn't alone though; a pair of red lasers joined me seconds later.

Alex continued to shoot Douglas in the mask with his blaster as we attacked from behind. Together, we were too much for him. Within seconds, Douglas was on the ground, his exo-suit malfunctioning due to the damage it had sustained.

"Surrender." Davenport growled. Douglas looked up at all of us.

"I'd rather die!" He spat.

"Either way, you lose." I replied, a cocky smirk on my face. He glanced at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I?" He asked, reaching for a button on his glove. My mind flashed to when I was younger and he taught me how to use the exo.

"Get down!" I shouted as he pressed it. For a second, nothing happened, then, in a blast of fire and debris, the suit exploded.

"Bree!" I exclaimed, grabbing her and Alex and throwing my force field up. The entire building seemed to shake as the suit self-destructed, pieces of it flying everywhere.

"Oh my god, oh my god." Bree was muttering, turned away from the blast. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped and it seemed like it was safe.

"I can't believe he just…" I trailed off, my force field disappearing behind us. Davenport and Adam, who'd ducked behind the force field, stood up on shaky legs, looking at the spot where Douglas had just been. All that was left was a large, black burn mark.

Burnt and broken pieces of the exo-suit lay discarded everywhere, ash and blood staining them.

"He blew himself up." Alex whispered, horror in his voice.

"He was trying to kill us." I told the boy. "He knew he'd lost, so he figured that if he went down, he was going to take us with him."

"Quick work with that force field." Davenport patted me on the shoulder. I nodded breathlessly. Bree looked at me, eyes wide.

"You saved my life." She said. I shrugged.

"Yeah, so?" I questioned. She threw her arms around me, much to my surprise.

"Thanks you." She murmured. I tried to hide the smile on my face.

"No problem." I replied. Adam suddenly cleared his throat and Bree pushed away from me.

"Right, so." Her face was bright red. "That's one down."

"And that leaves one to go." I finished.


	20. Facing Krane

**Vivyanna's POV**

"Just for the record, this is the most idiotic thing any of us have ever done." Rhyder said to me as he looked down the hall.

"You have no idea." I heard Leo mutter under his breath. I glanced at him.

"It's too late to back out now. So if you're getting nervous, deal with it." I warned him. He nodded.

"I know." He took a deep breath. "Let's do this already."

He pushed past us, walking down the hall. Rhyder and Roxanna both looked at me. "Well? Let's follow the midget."

I jogged after Leo, Chase close at my heels. Rhyder and Roxanna were right behind us.

"Chase, can you use that computer brain of yours to find my father?" I questioned. He raised a hand to him temple.

"Hall to the left, third door. He's got back up." He added, glancing at us.

"Dad's mine." Roxanna and I both growled. We looked at each other. "Alright, ours. You guys can take the guards."

"Got it." "Kick his ass." Leo and Rhyder replied. Chase looked at me.

"You sure?" He murmured as we continued down the hall. I nodded.

"Our father, our responsibility." I replied. He looked like he was going to object, but I didn't give a chance. "Let's go."

I gestured at Leo to take out his weapon, a small blaster that his step-dad had given him before going off to face Douglas, then smiled reassuringly at the others. I took a single step back, a ball of fire appearing in my hands.

"Ready?" I questioned. They all nodded and I shot my hands out, the fireball flying towards the door. The impact was strong enough to knock it off its hinges. It hit the ground with a thud, revealing my father and a dozen agents.

The agents raised their weapons and aimed them at us, but my father raised his hand, stopping them. "Vivyanna, I see you've returned with your sister." He mused, clearly thinking that I was still under his control. "But I did order you to kill the boy."

I glanced at Chase, then at my father. "Yeah…I don't think so." I replied after a moment. "Nobody tells me what to do."

"I see I'm going to need to make the serum a little more permanent." Dad muttered. "Roxanna, would you like to join us? Your sister's obviously a lost cause, but you've always had some sense."

"Join you? Like I hell I will!" Roxanna replied. Suddenly, the air turned colder. The others (including the agents) shivered at the sudden drop in temperature, but I just grinned. Roxanna was clearly ready for a fight.

"Very well then. I wanted you to come willingly, but the serum will have to work." My father sighed. He looked at the agents. "Take them down. Leave the girls alive."

Then, it began. The agents rushed forward, weapons ready. Rhyder raised his hands and a psychic wave pushed several of them back. Leo started shooting at them with his blaster, and Chase had two of them raised off the ground using his molecular kinesis.

Roxanna and I leapt forward, ready to take out our father. Two agents tried to stop us, but they quickly realized how bad of an idea that was. One hit the ground as a layer of ice began to crawl up his legs, while the other screamed as he got a face full of fire.

I glared at my father, leaping at him. My arms spontaneously combusted, covering them completely in deadly fire. I sent a jet stream of flames at my father, but he blocked them with his force field. His fist flew out, catching me in the stomach. I gasped out in pain at the sudden punch. He drew his fast back to hit me again, but was blocked by a cold, white wall of ice.

"Nice try, psycho." Roxanna growled, an ice spike shooting from the ground at him. He dodged it, raised a hand, and electricity flew from his hands at my sister. She dived to the left, narrowly avoiding the blow. I raised a hand, shooting a fireball at his head. He dropped to the ground to avoid it, then tried to sweep my legs out from under me.

I jumped backwards, my back hitting the icy wall Roxanna had created. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others still fighting the agents. Chase and Leo were working together, the former holding the agent still while the latter blasted them. Rhyder was doing pretty okay too, using every bit of his physic abilities to take down the cruel agents who had kept us prisoner for so long.

"Vivy!" Roxanna called suddenly. I glanced at her, about to object to that stupid nickname (hadn't people figured out by now that I didn't like it?) when I saw the light in her eyes. She made a gesture with her hands and I knew instantly what her plan was.

"You two really think you can take me down?" Our father mused as Roxanna and I began to circle him, one on each side. "You naïve, idiotic children!"

"Oh trust me, we're far from naïve." I growled. Roxanna nodded.

"And the only one here that's an idiot is you,  _Dad_." She spat the last word, disgust in her tone. I nodded at her, and we both raised our hands. A blast of ice flew from Roxanna's while a ball of fire exploded from mine.

Our father threw his hands up and a force field appeared around him. Our individual attacks hit it and bounced off towards us. I ducked as the fireball came right at me, then prepared to throw another blast at my father. Before I could, however, a blast of lightning hit me in the chest.

"AHH!" I screamed, hitting the ground. I heard some shouting from the others as my vision went blurry.

**Chase's POV**

I ducked under an agent's arm, then kicked him to the ground before he could press the trigger on his weapon. I spun around to face my next opponent when a pair of screams hit my ears.

"AHH!" I turned towards the noise, eyes wide. Vivyanna and Roxanna were both on the ground, Krane standing above them. Electricity flew from his fingertips, hitting both of the girls.

"Leave them alone!" I shouted, a plasma ball appearing in my hands. I was about to throw it at him when a blast flew over my shoulder. It hit Krane in the shoulder, causing him to stumble back a few steps. His hands tightened into fists, the electricity cutting off.

I looked behind me to see Leo holding his blaster, an angry look in his eyes. "No one touches my Roxanna." He growled. Under any other circumstances, I would have smirked. Instead, I raced to Vivyanna's side.

"Are you alright?" I questioned, helping her up. She gripped my arm as I pulled her to her feet, one hand over her chest.

"Ow." She muttered. "I'll live. Roxy?"

I looked at her sister, who was slowly getting up with Leo's help. "She's fine." I assured Vivyanna. She nodded, straightened up, and glared at her father.

"Your agents are done for." She stated, gesturing at the unconscious men scattered around the room. "You're outnumbered 5 to 1. You've lost, Dad."

"I beg to differ." Krane replied, raising his hands. Suddenly, an invisible hand started choking me, my feet slowly rising off the ground. I clutched at my throat, gasping for breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the others in a similar predicament.

Krane smirked at us. "It's you that's lost." He told us, a sadistic light in his eyes. Black spots danced across my vision, my lungs burning as they begged for oxygen.

Suddenly, I heard a loud explosion in the distance. It must have been powerful, because it made the entire room shake and rumble. The sudden shaking distracted Krane for a few brief seconds. But it was more than enough.

Rhyder, using his physic powers, and I, using my molecular kinesis, both shot our hands out towards the monster. The combined strength from our abilities shot him across the room, into the wall. The rest of us hit the ground, finally getting some fresh oxygen.

Krane started to get up, but Vivyanna was already on it. Fire danced across her arms as she advanced on her father. She raised a hand, a fireball appearing in it. "We are not your prisoners." She growled, fury in her eyes. "Any last words?"

Krane smiled. "Yeah. Time to die."

He raised a hand and a blast of electricity, this one at least three times as powerful as his last, flew at her. "No!" Roxanna shouted, eyes widening.

I didn't even think as I leapt at Vivyanna, tackling her to the ground. The lightning blast narrowly missed us both, hitting the wall behind us. Suddenly, Roxanna stood in front of us, her hands raised.

"No one. Touches. My sister." She growled, eyes cold. Suddenly, Krane gasped, a massive icicle poking out from him chest. His eyes locked on the massive icicle, slowly stained red. "Goodbye father. I hope you burn in hell."

He tried to rise, tried to fight back, but there was nothing he could do. He fell back, eyes glazed over. He was dead.

There was a long moment of silence. Then, in a hushed, shocked whisper: "He's dead. He's actually dead."

I looked down at Vivyanna as she said that. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. I nodded, got off of her, and offered her my hand. She took it and let me help her up.

"If he's dead, and if the others managed to stop Douglas then…" Rhyder looked at us, eyes lit up.

"Then we're free." Vivyanna finished for him. I looked at her and saw that her eyes were also bright, not with fear, but with hope. I leaned close to her, but before I could do anything, Roxanna cleared her throat.

"I'm um…" she looked at us, smirking. "I'm going to go check in on the others."

She pulled out her ear piece, then started out of the room. Leo followed her eagerly. The second they were outside, I heard Roxanna's annoyed voice. "Are you seriously trying to hold my hand?"

Vivyanna sighed and I chuckled. "I'm going to go keep an eye on them." Rhyder offered, leaving. Vivyanna sighed.

"We should go to." She muttered, starting to follow him. I grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her back.

"Not so fast." I told her. She frowned at me, confused.

"What? Why?" She asked, confused. Instead of answering her, I grabbed her chin, lifted her head, and pressed my lips against her. This wasn't my first kiss, but it was the first kissed that mattered, with the only girl that ever really mattered.


	21. Epilogue

**Vivyanna's POV**

I blinked my eyes open to see the bright light of the sun shining in through the open window. I sat up and walked over to the window, leaning against its frame, smiling.

 _I'm never going to get enough of this._  I thought to myself, taking in the scenery. I'd spent almost my entire life locked away from the sun. Now that I had the freedom to enjoy it everyday, I never wanted the sun to go down.

It had been three days since the Founders' deaths. For all of us who'd been prisoners, everything had changed. For the first time in our lives, we had the freedom we'd always prayed for.

Currently, all of us were staying at one of Davenport's old warehouses for the time being. It was actually a pretty cool place with everything any of us could hope for. It was fully stocked with food, there were soft beds to sleep on, and we spent the majority of our time outside just because we could. But we weren't going to stay here long, no matter how amazing the place was.

When we had left the Facility, everything was a mess. The remaining agents had fled, their bosses all dead. Maybank was no where to be found, unfortunately. After all those years of abuse, we'd wanted to return the favour. But he must have run sometime during the fights. But with no one to tell him what to do and since his army of agents was done for, he was no more threatening to us than a cockroach. Either way, I wish I'd be able to see him run for his life with his tail between his legs.

Chase, being a true lover of technology, had insisted that we stop by the control room so he could access the computer. He wanted to get any type of data available, especially details on that serum my father had given me. Although the computer had nothing on there about the serum, it did hold all of our information. Everything the government had on us was on those computers. Without it, they didn't even know we existed.

"If we delete this, if we destroy any evidence of us from the government systems, we won't have to hide anymore." He had said, eyes lighting up hopefully. So he and his father spent hours carefully hacking into the US government's main frame, destroying any evidence of our existence. When we told the others the news, they were ecstatic.

And who could blame them? We now had the chance to actually have normal lives. We could go to school, get jobs, LIVE for the first time since we'd been taken. This was more than any of us could have ever hoped for. It was so perfect, so incredible, that I almost didn't believe it to be true.

Davenport and his wife Tasha were so kind too; doing everything they could to help us. I think they felt that they owed us, since we'd been helping Adam, Bree, and Chase inside the Facility. Which was kind of unfair, since they'd helped us more than we had them.

Since the government no longer knew we existed, we didn't have to go on the run again. Obviously we couldn't go back to our old lives (that would just be plain stupid) but we could begin new ones.

I suppose we could have gone back to our roots, but did we really want to? Rhyder's parents had died during his stay at the Facility, Alex didn't really know where his parents were now, and Douglas and my father were both dead. Roxy and I had been born in Wisconsin, but we had no reason to go back now.

So, our new destination was New York. It was a logical choice, actually. The city was pretty big, so a few new faces wouldn't be all that noticeable. Rhyder had an aunt that lived in Manhattan, so he at least had somewhere to go live. Roxanna's eighteenth birthday was in less than a month, so she could get an apartment for the two of us pretty soon. Our old friend Sarah, who had contacted me the same day as we had escaped, had offered to take Alex in. He was the same age as her little sister, so he'd always have someone to play with.

As for Marcus, the Davenports had immediately offered to have him live with them. None of us were that surprised when he said yes. And because it would be way too noticeable if they moved back California, they were also heading to the big apple.

So, in the next few weeks, we'd all be moving the big city. Just another big change in our upcoming lives. Not that any of us were complaining about the changes.

However, there were some things that I didn't think would ever change. Like how Alex would seek me out after having a bad dream. Or how Leo refused to give up on the possibility that Roxanna might find him attractive (she didn't). Speaking of whom…

"Vivyanna?" There was a knock on my door. Roxanna opened the door a second later, dressed in a brand new pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. Tasha had insisted on taking the two of us shopping with Bree, claiming that we all needed a "girl's day out". Bree and Roxanna had enjoyed it, but I really couldn't care less. So long as I wasn't wearing a uniform from the Facility, I didn't care what clothes I owned. "You awake?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm sleepwalking." I replied sarcastically.

She smirked. "Yeah well, Leo's mom is making breakfast. You coming?"

"Yeah." I followed her down the hall into the kitchen part of our temporary home. Leo and Alex were sitting at the table, both devouring their plates of pancakes. Rhyder and Adam were playing a game of paper football at the counter while Davenport and Tasha were talking. I think they were chatting about groceries, judging by the way Tasha was gesturing at the half-empty fridge. Chase was sitting on the couch, away from the others, eyes focused on a laptop.

I grabbed a plate full of food (pancakes, bacon, and eggs) and walked over to him. "What's up?" I asked, sitting down next to him. He smiled at me in greeting, then gestured at his screen.

"Mr. Davenport thought it would be a good idea for us all to get passports, just in case the government come after us." He explained. "And since Sarah's coming to pick Alex up soon, I thought it would be a good idea to make his first."

"That's smart." I commented, taking a couple of bites. "Damn, Tasha makes good food."

Chase looked at me like I was crazy. "You're joking, right?" He questioned. I shook my head before eating a little more. "Her food is terrible! I can't think of anything that's worse."

I could tell that he was at least half-joking, if not completely, but I still decided to respond. "The Facility stuff was worse." I reminded him. He thought about it.

"I guess." He agreed. "By the way, have you and Roxy found an apartment yet?"

I frowned, then looked over my shoulder at my sister. She was sitting next to Adam, flipping through one of Tasha's old magazines. "Roxy?" I called. She looked up from the page she was on. "Apartment status?"

"We move in next week." She replied. I nodded, then looked back at Chase.

"You're only stuck with us for another week." I told him. He sighed.

"That soon? Mr. Davenport's got a place for our entire family, but we don't get it for another month." He complained. "Wait, how'd you get the money for an apartment anyway?"

"Your dad." I replied. "You know, for a scientist, he's not actually that bad. He offered to pay every penny."

"Seriously?" Chase looked surprised. I nodded.

"Yeah, but he also said that if I set anything on fire, I have to replace it myself." I told him. He smirked. "Quick question: how come he didn't warn Roxy not to freeze anything? She's just as bad as I am."

"No, she's not." Chase objected instantly. I glared at him. "But hey, I like hot messes."

I rolled my eyes. "Jerk." I grumbled under my breath. Suddenly, I realized that something was missing. Make that two somethings. "Hold up."

"What's wrong?" Chase frowned, confused. I looked around.

"Where's Robo-boy and your sister?" I questioned suspiciously. Chase frowned and looked for them.

"Still asleep?" He suggested. Suddenly, Alex was at my side, looking at Chase's computer.

"Hey, when you take my picture for the passport, can you please take my good side?" he requested. I groaned. Clearly, Leo had been rubbing off on him. "And I can go wake Bree and Marcus, if you want."

Before either of us could answer, he had sped away. "That kid has way too much energy for his own good." Chase muttered. I laughed.

"You think this is bad? Yesterday, I caught him trying to run on water." I informed him. Chase looked at me, intrigued.

"Really?" He asked, curious. I nodded.

"Yeah. He actually made it pretty far, but then he tripped and fell in. Rhyder had to use his powers to pull him out of the water." I told him. He frowned.

"Where was I during all this?" Chase questioned, confused.

"Adam was trying to convince you to let him bury you in the sand, remember?" I finished off my plate of food and put it down on the table across from us.

"Oh yeah." Chase nodded, a smirk on his face. He looked past me and frowned. "Everything alright, Alex?"

I turned around to see Alex walking back to us, a wide smirk on his face. He nodded, still grinning.

"What happened?" I asked, confused. His grin grew.

"I'd tell you, but I'm pretty sure they'd kill me if I did." He replied. Chase and I exchanged looks, both of us guessing what Alex had seen.

**Marcus' POV**

"I can't believe it." Bree murmured suddenly. We were both sitting on the beach, watching the waves hit the shore. It was kinda boring, I admit, but it had to be better than watching Leo hit on Roxanna in the kitchen.

"Can't believe what?" I asked, glancing at Bree.

"Everything. That we're free, that we can actually have normal lives again, that…" She trailed off, shaking her head. I smirked.

"That Chase has a girlfriend?" I added jokingly. She smirked.

"Yeah, that one caught us all by surprise." She agreed. She looked at me. "I can't believe you're here too."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. She smiled.

"Well, before all this, we thought you were dead. And even then, the fact that you and Leo have been living in the same house for the past three days and neither of you has tried to kill each other yet is incredible." She told me sincerely. I laughed.

"Yeah, well I've been trying to be good. Don't want to get kicked out or anything." I replied. Bree looked at me.

"Mr. Davenport and Tasha wouldn't do that." She told me. I shrugged.

"Leo might convince them too. In case you haven't noticed, he doesn't like me much." I reminded her. She suddenly grabbed my hand, causing me to look at her in surprise.

"Well I like you, so Leo can just deal with it." She told me. With a sudden boost of confidence, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers. The kiss was soft and sweet and her lips tasted just like I'd always dreamed they would.

I pulled away after a few moments. Bree's cheeks had gone red, surprise evident in her eyes. To my surprise, she was very quiet for a while. "Sorry." I muttered eventually, ducking my head in embarrassment. Bree let out a light laugh, grabbed my chin and lifted my head so she could kiss me. And this kiss was better than the last.

"Bree? Marcus?" Alex chose that moment to speed into the room. He skidded to a stop as we pulled away, his eyes wide. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Damn little cock-blocker." I muttered under my breath, glaring at him. Bree just laughed again.

"What did you need, Alex?" She asked, her tone patient. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Nothing really. Chase and Vivy noticed that you guys were gone, so I offered to look for you." He replied. He turned to leave, but not before calling over his shoulder. "Carry on!"

"Seriously, Alex?" I complained as the boy sped away, back into the house. Bree smirked and got up, still holding my hand.

"We should probably go inside anyway." She sighed. I got up, but pulled her back towards me before she could head into the building. I kissed her again quickly, one hand on her back to stop her from pulling away.

"Now, we can go inside." I breathed once I pulled away.

**Chase's POV**

"My turn!" Alex exclaimed, reaching for the dice. It was around noon by now, and we were all bored, so Leo had suggest board games. So here we were, sitting in the middle of the floor, with a Monopoly game in the center. And if you think Monopoly takes forever with just four people, you should try it with nine. Because there weren't enough pieces, Leo had to use a bottle cap as his character.

"This is pathetic." Vivyanna complained, watching as Alex moved his character, the top hat, to GO. Roxanna looked at her sister, then shook her head.

"Says the person in last place." She commented. "You weren't thinking that when you were winning."

"And how would you know what I was thinking?" Vivyanna challenged. Roxanna grinned.

"I can read your mind." She joked, placing her fingers to her temple. Vivyanna smirked.

"So what am I thinking now?" She challenged. Roxanna closed her eyes and grinned.

"You're thinking that I'm the prettier sister." She replied. Vivyanna laughed.

"Not even close." She replied, smirking. I looked at Marcus and we exchanged grins. I couldn't think of a time when the girls had been this cheerful, especially not Vivyanna.

Suddenly, three pairs of footsteps reached my ears. I turned to see Mr. Davenport, Tasha, and a tall, blonde twenty year old girl enter the room. "Oh, hey Sarah. Did you just get here?" I asked, smiling at the lady. She nodded.

"Yeah, and might I add, it's a pretty cool island." She smiled back at me, then at the others. "So, who's winning?"

"Me." Alex grinned proudly, showing her his money. Sarah nodded.

"Nice job, little man." She sighed. "I hate to break this little party up, but Alex, I'm afraid we have to go."

Alex sighed and nodded. He started to get up, but then sped over to Vivyanna and gave her a hug. "You'll visit, right?"

Vivyanna smiled and gave him a small hug back. "Of course I will, Quicky. Who else am I going to get into trouble every week?"

He laughed, then said his goodbyes to the rest of us. I sighed, knowing that this was the last time our group of friends would be together for a while. But while we may not all be together all the time, like we had for the past few weeks, we still had each other's backs.

And with Maybank still out there, I had a feeling, we would need to keep each other close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continue Vivyanna and Chase's story in "Maybank's Revenge"


End file.
